BANCROFT BASIN 

RIVER AVON

BANCROFT GARDENS

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON TOWN

The Town Hall

The coat of arms granted to the Stratford Corporation In 1553.

The town’s first market hall

was built by the Stratford Corporation In 1634.

It was open on the ground floor

to provide a covered area for the Corn market.

This building, damaged in the Civil War and never fully repaired,

was pulled down in 1767

and replaced by the present one,

probably designed by Robert Newman of Whittington,

In Gloucestershire.

It too was originally left open on the ground floor

with a smart assembly room on the first floor

In 1863, the open arcading was filled in

to create additional accommodation on the ground floor,

mainly for meetings of the Stratford Corporation

who until that day had met in the Guildhall In Church Street.

Gracing the Sheep Street frontage

is a statue of Shakespeare by John Cheere,

presented to the town by the actor, David Garrick,

who in 1769 organised a three-day festival in the town

in Shakespeare’s honour two years or the Town Hall was built.

THE HIGH STREET, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

SHEEP STREET

TUDOR WORLD

TUDOR WORLD,

an Interactive attraction in a beamed period building

with exhibits bringing the 16th Century to life. 

ADDRESS:

40 Sheep St, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6EE, United Kingdom.

THE SHRIEVE’S HOUSE AND BARN:

THE OLDEST LIVED-IN HOUSE IN STRATFORD

The first recorded building on this site is 1196

AN INN DURING THE 16th CENTURY, 

RUN BY WILLIAM ROGERS

WHO IT IS SAID WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR

SHAKESPEARE’S MUCH-LOVED CHARACTER OF FALSTAFF.

RESIDENCE OF JOHN WOOLMER IN THE 17th CENTURY

THE FIRST MAYOR OF STRATFORD.

RESIDENCE OF EDWARD GIBBS IN THE 19th CENTURY

WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR RENOVATING THE SWAN AND MAIDENHEAD

IN HENLEY STREET INTO THE SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE

WHO WAS KNOWN AS THE ‘SHAKESPEARE’ ARCHITECT.

ALSO DOCUMENTED AS THE MOST HAUNTED BUILDING IN ENGLAND.

Now a privately run museum.

DISCLAIMER (PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING)

Outside courtyard

The cobbled courtyard entrance to the museum

is a not a public throughway

and part of the museum property.

The cobbles are very uneven and,

consistent with their age,

and can be very slippery when wet.

Please enter at your own risk.

The museum

Tudor World museum

is an historic building and contains steps,

uneven floors and low beams.

Some of the lighting is very atmospheric.

Exhibits

Whilst many of the exhibits invite our visitors to interact,

many are clearly out of bounds and very delicate.

Any interference with these may result in ejection

and payment for damages sought.

Lighting

In the evening,

the museum is very dark for tours

and some of the stories may not be suitable for children

(please bring at own risk).

The tours may also be unsuitable for those of a nervous disposition

or those who suffer from claustrophobia.

Disruption / damage / abuse

Any visitor who is intoxicated or disrupts the museum,

tours or is abusive towards our staff in any way

will be ejected without refund.

We take the safety to our staff very seriously

and legal action will be pursued vigorously.

Tudor World Living History Museum |

Stratford upon Avon

The site of this Tudor building

was first occupied in 1196

when the Bishop of Worcester divided the area into 29 plots –

one of which was the site of 40 Sheep Street and may have included 41.

The Tudors took the throne of England in 1485

when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III

at the Battle of Bosworth,

and through marriage to Elizabeth of York

ended the long-running Wars of the Roses.

Under the name Henry VII

he united the feuding royal houses of Lancaster and York,

and the dynasty retained power until 1603

when his granddaughter Elizabeth I died.

The Red Rose of Lancaster

and the White Rose of York

together made up the new Tudor Rose.

Battle of Bosworth

The house has endured fire, war and plague.

The fire of 1595 which burnt down much of Sheep Street,

Bridge Street and the High Road

also destroyed much of 40 Sheep Street,

the only remaining parts being the medieval frontage

(dating from around 1480).

The house was rebuilt- in 1595,

with a slate roof and brick-built fireplaces

replacing the thatched roof and open fires of the old house.

Although there have been many occupants of this building,

William Shrieve, archer to King Henry VIII,

is one of the most significant.

Master Shrieve was the first recorded tenant in the 1530s-40s

and is mentioned in the muster roll of 1536.

The property is known as the Shrieve’s House to this day.

It may be presumed that he was a man of some standing

to have lived in such a high-status house.

His name means ‘Sheriff’,

so perhaps he was also the first Sheriff of the town.

He may have remembered the Battle of Bosworth.

In the 1550s and 1560s John Jefferies,

a Catholic gentleman was in residence

and is recorded as being convicted of ‘treasonous acts’ in 1559,

predated to the reign of Mary I.

Plague visited the house in 1564,

the year William Shakespeare was born.

The poet was a close friend of William and Elizabeth Rogers,

who ran the Three Tuns tavern here

in the latter half of the 16th Century. 

Their nephew was Shakespeare’s godson.

Local legend claims Will Rogers

as the inspiration for Shakespeare’s

legendary character Sir John Falstaff.

To find out more,

come on inside and meet the rest of the colourful characters

of Tudor World.

You may discover some of the innovations,

explorations, myths and legends associated with the house,

as well as many dark deeds of Tudor England.

SHAKESPEARE’S SCHOOLROOM & GUILDHALL

Exhibits & Tours by costumed interpreters of playwright

William Shakespeare’s medieval classroom. 

ADDRESS: Church St, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6HB, United Kingdom

THE GUILD CHAPEL

HISTORICAL LANDMARK

ADDRESS:

CHAPEL LANE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, CV37 6EP, UNITED KINGDOM

THE SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN

TOWN SQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE

RIVER AVON