Stratford upon Avon

Here are some touristy photos of Stratford upon Avon, in the Midlands -- or, to phrase it more prettily, in the "heart of England".

I'd realized Stratford would be crowded and touristy. Every year I'd warned people not to go there, but the warnings were merely based on what others had said and written about the place. I thought I should give it a try myself.

Not my favorite part of Britain. There are some old buildings, and indeed they're in a style that's not at all common. But you have to look up for it -- everything at ground level seems to be tourist dreck.

Despairing of central Stratford, I popped into a bookshop to read the Lonely Planet entry. The book recommended a place a short drive away: "Mary Arden's house", the house that once belonged to Shakespeare's mother. Now that is worth seeing -- not for anything particularly Shakespearian, but for the delight of looking around a house that has been sinking and buckling for centuries. Don't miss the second floor (first floor if you're British or French). Sorry, no pictures of this house here.

The pictures are pretty feeble. Blame me for unimaginativeness, poor composition, deviations from the level, etc. But the awful camera gave me very little control over exposure and none over focus.

Take a fine building; turn it into a junk food shop. . . .

which is a shame, as some of these buildings are superbly carved.

Outside the house that guards the house in which the person who might have written all those plays was probably born.

Much ado about not very much -- cashier of the mysterious one's birthplace. (I didn't pay up and didn't enter.)

Three important destinations in Stratford.

Toys are big business in Stratford.

Enigmatic window display during decoration.

Who needs drama when you've got teddies?

Did I say toys were big in Stratford?

Tourists, tourists everywhere.

He'll come for you in the end.

Other snaps

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First created: 22 September 1998. Last fiddled with: 20 March 2001.