A Fleeting Stop at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is the Former Childhood Home of Shakespeare’s Wife:

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

A surprise treat this morning was a photo opportunity stop at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. The cottage is not far from Stratford-upon-Avon and yet on a previous visit to Shakespeare’s country our itinerary did not include a stop here.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is the former childhood home of Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare. Situated in the village of Shottery in Warwickshire, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is only 1.6 km west of Stratford-upon-Avon.

It may be called a cottage, but the property is actually a 12-roomed farmhouse with several bedrooms. It is now set in a beautiful typically English garden.

During Shakespeare’s time, the cottage was known as Newland Farms with more than 90 acres of land. The property passed to Anne’s brother Bartholomew when her father died and it subsequently passed through the hands of the Hathaway family until 1846 when financial problems required it be sold. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust bought it in 1892 and the Hathaway family were allowed to occupy it as tenants.

A 1969 fire caused severe damage but the house was restored by the Trust. It is now open to the public as a museum.

With only fifteen minutes to spend here, there was a mad rush to try and get the best shots. I rushed up to the entrance and into the cottage garden whereas others stayed by the roadside to get the full view of this beautiful cottage.

Things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon

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