Stratford-upon-Avon -- England Trip, Part Three

The Season Three finale of Downton Abbey will air tomorrow night here in the U.S.  With that thought in mind, I thought I'd share some more of our trip to England; so today we'll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, in south Warwickshire, England. 

Since Valentine's Day was this week, as well, I think William Shakespeare's

birthplace ties in with a holiday that celebrates love and romance.  Even if you're not a fan of Shakespeare, I think it would be hard to read his Sonnet 18 and not be moved by the beauty of those words.  And then, there is "Romeo and Juliet," one of the most famous love stories ever written.

The market town of Stratford-upon-Avon lies along the banks of the River Avon.  I believe these are cherry trees blooming in this park alongside the river.  We got lucky that day, and it was beautiful and sunny all day.  The day before, in London, it was gray and rainy most of the day.

You can see one of the canal boats on the other side.  These canals run all through England and as far back as medieval times, they were used to transport goods across the country before the advent of modern roads and railways.

...A statue of the bard himself in the same park.  As you can see, there were lots of trees and flowers in bloom when we were there.

This is perhaps one of the most recognizable buildings in England -- Anne Hathaway's cottage.  Anne Hathaway was the wife of Shakespeare.  If the National Trust wouldn't mind, maybe I could just use this as a summer cottage?  :)  What do you think?

The gardens at Anne Hathaway's cottage.

Above is the Toll House, a ten-sided building attached to the 15th century Clopton Bridge.  The Toll House was built in 1814, and Thomas Keen collected tolls from travelers who wished to cross the bridge.

More views of Clopton Bridge.

This is Yours Truly standing at the entrance to Shakespeare's birthplace.  Notice the green sign that reads "Way In."  I first saw these signs when we arrived at Gatwick Airport, and it took me a few minutes to realize that "Way In" meant entrance.  So of course, "Way Out" means exit.  Two nations separated by a common language.  :)

The entrance to Shakespeare's birthplace seen from across the street.  I love the flower boxes.

  This is the back of Shakespeare's birthplace.  I couldn't get enough of all these gorgeous gardens.

Another view of the back of the home and garden.

Me again, standing at the entrance to Hall's Croft.  William Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna, lived here with her husband, Dr. John Croft.

The Red Lion Pub...we didn't go inside, but I think it looks like the quintessential English pub.

...the Shakespeare Hotel.

This walkway leads to Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare and his family members are buried.

I love the beautiful old Yew topiary and the old gravestones covered with lichens and moss.

Shakespeare is not actually buried in this graveyard, but inside the church.

The wooden "gate" below is actually a canal lock, and the big building in the distance is the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

All Shakespeare connections aside, Stratford-upon-Avon is just a beautiful town and well worth a visit.  I will add that we were there before the serious tourist season started, and I think that makes a big difference.  It was quiet and not overflowing with people.  Based on some things I've read and heard, you might not want to visit there in the middle of summer.

Isn't this a beautiful scene of the Avon River with the swans and the church steeple in the distance?  I love the Weeping Willow trees growing along the bank.  I did another oil painting edit with Pikmonkey.

I hope you enjoyed seeing Stratford-upon-Avon through the lens of my camera.  These pictures were taken by me 14 years ago with a point and shoot, 35mm camera (not digital).  I'm so glad for the capability to upload and store all these on computer now, just in case something should happen to my hard copies.

Thank you for reading my blog.  To those of you loyal folks who visit on a regular basis, I'm very grateful; and those of you who are visiting for the first time, I hope you'll come back.  If you've ever been to Stratford-upon-Avon, let me know.  I'd love to hear about your experiences!  If you'd like to see more of England, you can read about Part One and Part Two of our trip Here and Here.

I'm linking this post to:

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Mondays
Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop


Denise