Jane Grigson

Alan Watts

We are all booked up for a mini adventure for Valentines Day. The mini break includes a very belated 2022 Christmas gift from me to Mr C. At long last there is a RSC performance that captures his imagination.

Midsummer Night’s Dream and Edward Moon here we come…

The history of the Arden Hotel:

Like many buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon, the buildings and land which constitute the Arden Hotel form part of the Royal Shakespeare Company estate. According to the RSC, the Arden has a historical association with William Shakespeare himself.

It is known that Shakespeare’s father, John, became a prominent member of society in Elizabethan Stratford following his marriage to Mary Arden, a member of the local gentry, despite being born to a relatively poor farming family.

In subsequent years John Shakespeare forged a reputation as a local entrepreneur and it seems alongside his trade as a glover, various civic roles, and a propensity to get in trouble with the law, he also found time to build a modest property entire – for the 1,500 population market town – of which the ‘Arden’ was a part.

Though the main house of the Arden dates back to the late 17th Century, and the mock-Tudor Udimore House later, the land and garden used to contain an Elizabethan dwelling called Brook House, and it is reputed that William Shakespeare wrote some of his works in the garden and the family were associated with the house.

Since then its history is hazy but at one stage it was the Flowers Brewery Family estate before passing to the RSC. It has been a hotel in various incarnations since 1965.

Shrieve’s House currently houses the Tudor World Museum. The museum shows historical settings to display the life and time of Tudors.*

The Shrieve’s House and Barn The oldest lived-in house in Stratford (First recorded building on this site is 1196) An inn during the 16th century run by William Rogers who it is said was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s much-loved character of Falstaff. Residence of John Woolmer in the 17th century, the first mayor of Stratford. Residence of Edward Gibbs in the 19th century who was responsible for renovating the Swan and Maidenhead in Henley Street into the Shakespeare Birthplace, who was known as The ‘Shakespeare’ Architect. Also documented as The most haunted building in England.**

• * Tudor World Website
• ** Quoted from Open Plaques

From Wiki:

William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, was baptised in Holy Trinity on 26 April 1564 and was buried there on 25 April 1616.^[17] The church still possesses the original Elizabethan register giving details of his baptism and burial, though it is kept by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for safekeeping. He is buried in the beautiful 15th-century chancel built by Thomas Balsall, Dean of the Collegiate Church, who was buried within it in 1491. Shakespeare was eligible to be buried in the chancel owing to his position as a “lay rector” of the church; as Peter Ackroyd explains, this was due to his leasing of tithes from the church. This entitlement was taken either at his behest or on his behalf.^[18] Shakespeare’s funerary monument is fixed on a wall alongside his burial place. The funerary monument was renovated in 1746 through proceeds from a production of Othello, the first recorded performance of a Shakespeare play in Stratford-upon-Avon.^[19]

Shakespeare would have come to Holy Trinity every week when he was in town, i.e. throughout his childhood and on his return to live at New Place. His wife Anne Hathaway is buried next to him, along with his eldest daughter Susanna. The day after Shakespeare signed his Last Will and Testament on 25 March 1616 in a “shaky hand”, William’s son-in-law, Thomas Quiney was found guilty in the church court of fathering an illegitimate son, who had recently died in childbirth, by a Margaret Wheler. Quiney was ordered to do public penance within the church. Within a month Shakespeare was dead, his funeral and burial being held at Holy Trinity on 25 April 1616.

Above the grave, a badly eroded stone slab displays his epitaph:

Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
to digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be y^e man y^t spares thes stones,
and cvrst be he y^t moves my bones.

It has been claimed by at least one textbook author that the warning has served to prevent both the removal of Shakespeare’s body to Westminster Abbey and the exhumation of his body for examination.^[20]

The grave of Shakespeare’s wife Anne is next to her husband’s. The inscription states, “Heere lyeth interred the body of Anne wife of William Shakespeare who dep[ar]ted this life the 6th day of Avgv[st] 1623 being of the age of 67 yeares”. A Latin inscription followed which translates as “Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me – for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christ’s body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars.”^[21] The inscription may have been written by John Hall on behalf of his wife, Anne’s daughter, Susanna.^[22]

The route of our river walk can be found on the following link:

Stratford-upon-Avon walks leaflet

We walked all of the route although not from A to B because we ventured into town for lunch before returning to the route.

Have fun spotting our resident iguanas! Prudence & Bennie are green iguanas, originating from South America. Prudence was donated to the Butterfly Farm about 8 years ago, and Bennie was donated in 2020. They like to hide up in the trees and bask in the warmth on top of the heaters where they like to keep a watchful eye on the goings on below! Be cautious of droppings if you are walking underneath them! They are magnificent creatures and excellent swimmers and love to fed on leaves, flowers and fruit.

Bennie decided to come down from his high perch and pose for the visitors. Isn’t he gorgeous!

Over 30 years ago Clive Farrell had a dream to create an attraction that would introduce visitors to the wonderment of butterflies. This dream became a reality in July 1985 when Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm opened its gates to the public.

The Stratford Butterfly Farm has been welcoming visitors to its tropical butterfly paradise for over three decades. The idea and setting up of the Butterfly Farm was the passion and dream of internationally renowned lepidopterist, Clive Farrell. The farm was officially opened on 24th July 1985 by botanist and naturalist, David Bellamy OBE.

Clive’s fascination with butterflies and nature began when he was five years old after finding a hairy caterpillar in his garden. He put it in a matchbox where it spun a cocoon and he watched it emerge as a beautiful Tiger Moth. It was a magical moment that has stayed with him. It is Clive’s hope that a visit to the Butterfly Farm will create such memorable moments for other generations to experience and be inspired by.

Behind the scenes an industrious team works tirelessly not only to bring pupae to Stratford Butterfly Farm but also to export and supply butterfly houses across the globe! To be able to do this we import from a variety of international butterfly farms, providing a sustainable income for the local community and conservation projects.

In 1991, following on from the successful launch of the Stratford Butterfly Farm, Clive joined forces with Ray Harbard to create the Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm in Belize.

The Belize butterfly farm is operated as a nature reserve that sustains local employment without having a negative impact on the local environment. The farm is treasured by the local Kekchi Maya villagers not just for the nature conservation benefits but for the considerable positive impact on the local community where so many young people would otherwise be out of work.

It has a highly successful breeding programme and supplies butterfly houses across the world. These Belizean butterflies can be seen as messengers from the fast dwindling rainforest, to you the visitor. They are infinitely precious and by protecting their natural habitat we protect all the other animals that live there, from jaguars to leaf cutter ants and everything in between!

Many of the beautiful butterflies that can be seen at Stratford Butterfly Farm are supplied by the Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm in the Maya Mountains of Belize. On its doorstep is the ancient Maya site of Lubaantun, which translates to ‘place of the fallen stones’, which is where the farm gets its name from. The people that work at the Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm are present-day Maya and this is the area where the ancient Maya once lived. It is the perfect environment for the types of plants that butterflies need to be able to feed and breed.

This fascinating connection between the Maya and Stratford Butterfly Farm has inspired us to exhibit throughout the farm, Maya and Mesoamerican replica sculptures and interpretation to inform our visitors of the amazing Maya civilisation and their culture.