For my Wednesday afternoon wandering this week I paid a visit to the home town of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, which is in the English Midlands.
Although I only live about a forty-five minutes drive away, I had not been to Stratford for some time, leaving it a very suitable choice for one of my regular Wednesday afternoon outings, where I ensure I get away from the desk and out and about for at least a few hours each week.
Although it was a rather dull and damp day, the rain never got any worse than a drizzle and, now that we are into October, the tourist crowds are nothing like as huge as they are in the summer months. Top tip here, if you are ever thinking of paying a visit to the town then avoid the May to September period. You’ll have a much more relaxed time and find it a lot easier to visit the usual tourist destinations if you do.
So, first up, after I’d parked the car in my preferred car park down by the river, we have the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The theatre got a major face-lift some years ago but the architects worked with the existing structure rather than pulling it all down, which resulted in an interesting and unusual building that sits close to the river.
The swans and geese were out in force, as usual, and making plenty of noise as they hassled passers-by for a free meal.
Here’s a photo of the boat house and you can see how brown and dirty the river is. It was pretty high and flowing fast as a result of the rain we’ve had recently.
Now that it is off-season there were only a few boats in the little town centre marina.
As you would expect, there are plenty of old properties in the town, including a good number from the Middle Ages.
There is also this fabulous example of the Victorian Gothic style. It is the local branch of the HSBC Bank. Once upon a time you would see plenty of bank branches like this in more prosperous cities and towns, but in most cases the banks have moved out.
The Town Hall looks pretty good too.
Oh, and I couldn’t leave out Shakespeare’s birthplace, of course. In summer this area would be so busy you’d have trouble seeing the building.
There are many Shakespeare related statues around the town and I do particularly love this one of the Fool from As You Like It.
Here is another little chap I happened to encounter in a shop.
And, finally, I couldn’t leave without pointing out the town’s Literary Festival is currently on.
A lovely way to spend an afternoon and I feel much the better for it.
Many years ago I was one of those Tourists the locals tend to hate LOL
But I went there in the off season, as even though I was a tourists, I hate crowds so always try to visit places in the off season for most tourists
your photos brought back nice memories of when i visited there
Thanks for joining the Wednesday Walk
Have a great day
Locals are always happy to take the tourist's money so they shouldn't get too grumpy they have chosen to visit their home😀Glad my post brought back some happy memories.
thats a good point also :)
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