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Published: July 21st 2021
Hamlet House
Tiny, but enoughChipping Camden – Stratford, Friday, August 13
Our tour included transportation to either Moreton-in-Marsh, or Stratford to end our journey. This was done in a Mercedes saloon! Bob and Julia were dropped off first at the train station in Moreton-in-Marsh. I was then driven to
Stratford. The driver and I discussed web sites most of the way.
Yvonne Jones at Hamlet House greeted me with “Are you Judith!?” even though I was very early - just after 10:00. She is a bona-fide character. She talks regularly to her talking grey parrot, which had just learned to say “spider”. He also says “cat says meow” and “pig snort snort snort”; although sometimes he reverses them. She says he knows a whole set of animal sounds and their names. He says them all mixed up and then all correctly. I didn’t hear this feat. On the day I left I found out his cage was almost at the back of the house. He is very loud!
Off I went to cash travelers’ cheques. I realize I don’t usually spend cash at home, so this leakage from my wallet is amazing! Then, as advised by Yvonne, I caught public transport (bus)
Talkative parrot
Hamlet House character to
Warwick Castle . It is magnificent, fulfilling all one’s expectations of a castle, with bulk, turrets, ditch, ramparts, dungeon, and history. They have different parts decorated, and “populated” with mannequins, according to different eras. For £2 I rented a CD player that allowed you to stand in the room and hear a commentary. This was one of the truly good values on the whole trip!
The Castle was more than just a big house. Inside the vast wall yard was a virtual village, with all the services required, such as blacksmith, kitchens, farming implements, armory, etc. When the local area was under attack, the villagers and farmers all around would rush into the walled enclosure – an important recompense for their loyalty. Touring the Castle completely exhausted me. So returning to the B&B, I had a nap.
I ate fish and chips (very small cod, over-fried, but juicy and tasty). Then on to
The Swan Theatre Historic construction
Anne Hathaway's cottage,15 and 17 century for
Bartholomew’s Fair (
Ben Jonson). It was excellent. I so enjoyed seeing a performance which made sense of the plot and all the comedy, as it seemed obscure when I studied it at McGill. It was done in modern dress, with all the fair people in versions of punk.
My fatigue led to several micro-naps during the play. In accordance with history, the audience was standing throughout the play, leaning against hip-level supports. At the end of the play, people left with stunning speed, and I had trouble keeping up with the crowd (for safety) on my way back to the B&B. Once there, the door wouldn’t open to my key. Increasingly terrified, I knocked heavily on the door. After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, I realized I was pounding on the entry to the dining room. The main entrance was one door over, and my key worked well! Upstairs in my room, I literally fell asleep as my head hit the pillow. Stratford, Saturday August 14
Today I took the
Guide Friday bus (on and off) to see the “Shakespeare Properties”. I decided to do the two outside Stratford first, as that was
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Shakespeare married into a good family. the most convenient stop to my B&B. This was a good choice as they are the most interesting and required the most walking.
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was very large and well-thatched – she was a prosperous farmer. The rooms had more museum-feel than historic atmospherics. Arden House was the best of the five properties, because it was well re-imagined. The guides were very knowledgeable. The house was little altered, and there are lots of other things to see. There was an excellent birds-of-prey exhibition. I missed most of the falconry, but got to hold some chicken for an owl to land on my gloved hand.
A bit terrifying in appearance, the bird was extremely light – my arm bobbed up because I was expecting some weight. A woman took my picture for me.
I also acquired a weighty souvenir. I really enjoyed talking to the blacksmith who makes replica items in a coal-fired forge. He had a beautiful, simple taper-holder, as might be used by a peasant. It has a wonderful art deco look to it. I guess I talked about it so much that he offered to sell it to me for £10, and I tumbled – forgetting to
bargain, as usual. I think it’s great!
Before lunch, I found the energy to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace , a large house in Stratford. Although well-curated, Arden House and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage dominated my impressions – perhaps because they were seen first. Lunch was in the lounge of the
White Swan Hotel , a tourist stop recommended by a friend at home. It’s a bit of a swindle re price/quality, but the building is historic and worth seeing inside. Then I dropped off my cameras and souvenir at the B&B and took the rest of the Guide Friday tour. I visited
Hall’s Croft (Shakespeare’s sister’s home) and
New Place (site of Shakespeare’s prosperous town home).
In the evening, I went to the theatre to see Shakespeare’s play
Measure for Measure. It was difficult to understand at first, but ultimately moving. The production was done in the style of the early Nazis, and ultimately this worked.
Beside me sat two young Japanese tourists; how they could follow the play was a mystery to me – Shakespeare’s language and the 1930s style were hard to weave together. View map of trip.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Surfacing
I think I feel now as you did then - inclined to fall asleep at odd moments. I'm catching up in reverse order. This Stratford stay sounds like a stunning addition to your walking tour. The buildings are amazing. Here, I suspect they would have long since been redeveloped, several times - although as I say that I remember old clapboard houses in New England, so maybe not.