In 1597, after 15 years of marriage to Anne Hathaway, and having already established himself as a playwright, William Shakespeare bought a house and property in the center of Stratford Upon Avon. This was to become known as "New Place". Originally built in 1483 by the then Lord Mayor of London, New Place was considered the second largest building in town. It had ten fireplaces, two barns, and an orchard. It also contained a sunken garden with an intricate design, known as a Knot Garden, as well as the Great Garden, which is the last surviving part of the estate. Shakespeare and his family lived here for 19 years, writing many of his later plays in this house. Disappointingly, the house no longer exists. Following Shakespeare's death in 1616, the property passed through several owners until 1756 when the Reverand Francis Gastrell bought it. Because of frustrations over the town's refusal to allow him to expand the property, Gastrell tore down the house in retaliation. Archeological excavations in 2011 "...indicated the presence of a Tudor structure but were inconclusive as to the ground plans of Shakespeare's original house." We were fortunate in our timing of visiting this site as it had just re-opened to the public following renovations to the grounds after the archeological excavations. While the house is not there for us to,see, the grounds and exhibitions are spectacular. Entrance to "New Place." Artist's rendition of how the house would have looked. The part facing the street was where Shakespeare entertained while the back side was where the family actually lived. The Knot Garden. Dominating the center of the Great Garden is this wonderful Mulberry tree. Looking across the Great Garden, the last surviving part of the original estate, towards the Guild Hall During the 2011 excavations of the property, Stratford University's Center of Archeology discovered the remnants of Shakespeare's kitchen. A budding playwright sits in the garden contemplating her next writing endeavor.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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