This restored 16th-century half-timbered house in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, is believed to be the house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he spent his childhood years.
It is now a small museum open to the public and a popular visitor attraction.
Typical of the times, it was constructed in wattle and daub around a wooden frame. The house was divided into two parts: living quarters, plus a working area for Shakespeare’s father, who was a glove maker and wool dealer.
When the Shakespeare family line came to an end the house fell into disrepair, but literary and popular interest in he bard led to its renovation. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, with reference to an engraving of 1769 as well as to surviving architectural evidence, organised a reconstruction between 1857 and 1864 which restored the outside of the building to its 16th century state.
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Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Linked to Lingering Look at Windows and Whimsical Windows.
Thank you so much for using my challenge as a vehicle for such a fascinating post. Great windows AND architecture as well.
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Imagine that – a reconstruction took place in the mid 1800s!!
It looks stunning.
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Those windows are really interesting to see. We get so used to looking out of large panes of perfect glass that I wonder what it would be like to have so many small panes of wrinkled glass!
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Thanks for sharing this bit of history.
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How fascinating, thanks for sharing these! Somehow that looks a bit more modern than I would have guessed to be Shakespeare’s childhood home, it’s really interesting to see! I guess things haven’t really changed *that* much 🙂
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This is really lovely. Buildings like this really take you back in time – I am glad that there are people who devote time, effort and resources to preserving these bits of history.
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Lovely, rustic old building
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Gorgeous!
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