2 Bedroom Shakespeare Country cottages

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The area around Stratford-upon-Avon, where the fine countryside of Warwickshire borders with Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, is a popular choice for visitors. Not only is there access to the very best of the Bard, with the RSC celebrating the works of William Shakespeare at Stratford, but its proximity to the beauty of the Cotswolds and to the glorious spa town of Bath, makes it a magnet for anyone searching for all things quintessentially English.

To the north, Britain’s second city, Birmingham, is host to several world-class theatres, a new Symphony Hall and the wonderful Birmingham Art Gallery, housing some of the finest in Pre-Raphaelite paintings; indeed, Birmingham has the largest public collection of Pre-Raphaelite art found anywhere in the world. Free lunchtime concerts are regularly held in the Round Room and galleries within Birmingham Museum. To the south of Shakespeare Country, Evesham, Banbury, Oxford and Cirencester offer visitors further historic and cultural delights.

Things to do in Shakespeare Country
The literary connections are perhaps the most obvious attraction for visitors, but the countryside around Warwickshire is also amongst some of the most beautiful in England, and is well worth a visit. The Grand Union Canal and its connecting Oxford Canal run through the area, and although the industrial uses of such waterways are largely long since gone, the canals are now particularly popular with holidaymakers and recreational users.  Cyclists and walkers also make the most of the wonderful, flat towpaths.

Top Destinations

Stratford-upon-Avon – Pay a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and its grand, newly-renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre, together with the neighbouring Swan Theatre, on the banks of the beautiful River Avon. The recently-constructed, and already iconic RSC Theatre Tower is open to visitors, although advance booking of tours is recommended. Nearby, enjoy a boat trip along the river, join a race day outing at Stratford Racecourse, or perhaps spend a day visiting Mary Arden’s House and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, both of which are located just outside the town.

Kenilworth – Once home to Robert Dudley, the first Earl of Leicester, and favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, the historic mediaeval fortress and ruins of Kenilworth Castle are built of striking red sandstone, and are set in fine grounds; the estate also includes the recently re-created Elizabethan Gardens.

Royal Leamington Spa – Although the healing properties of the local waters had been know about since Roman times, it was during the Victorian era that the town really began to exploit its location, culminating with the opening of the Royal Pump Rooms in 1875. Leamington Spa still holds on to some of its Georgian and Victorian grandeur, with the Pump Rooms reopened as a cultural centre, and now containing the local Art Gallery and Museum.

Coventry – The amazing spectacle of Coventry Cathedral, a centre for international reconciliation since the destruction of its mediaeval brickwork in 1940, contrast the ancient, jagged and burnt-out ruins with the modernist walls of the new cathedral which was consecrated in 1962. Coventry Transport Museum houses the most extensive collection of British-made road transport in the world, and its location reflects the city’s former role at the heart of the British car industry.

Evesham – A fine old market town, Evesham is situated in the ‘fruit and vegetable basket of England’:  the Vale of Evesham runs from the banks of the tranquil River Avon into the undulating hills and slopes of the Cotswolds. The Bell Tower in the town is the only remaining remnant of the once great abbey, destroyed following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, although visitors to Evesham should also note the fine 14^th century Almonry building.

Oxford – Whether you are visiting to inspect the ‘City of Spires’, enjoying Kelmscott Manor - the idyllic Cotswold former home of William Morris, or venturing out to the stately grandeur of Blenheim Palace, Oxford is a city of international importance. The Ashmolean was the world’s first public museum and has recently been extensively refurbished for the 21^st century. Meanwhile, the Pitt Rivers Museum houses a unique and world-class display of anthropology and archaeology.

Cirencester – Founded as the Roman town of Corinium, this market town owes much of its early success to a thriving wool trade and industry. Cirencester lies on the lower slopes of the Cotswold Hills, with the River Thames rising just to the west. In the centre of Cirencester, the mediaeval Church of St John the Baptist is renowned for its stunning Perpendicular porch.  Meanwhile, just beyond the reaches of the main town, Cirencester House is the site of one of the finest landscape gardens in England.

Banbury – Best known for its nursery rhyme associations with the goings on in ‘Ride a Cock Horse’, Banbury does indeed still have a cross; although the original cross was pulled down at the end of the 16^th century, a new one was erected in 1859, in celebration of the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter, the then Princess Royal, to Prince Frederick of Prussia. On a more prosaic level, Banbury Cakes combine fruit and pastry, to create a world-famous local delicacy.