Henley-in-Arden
To the north of Stratford-upon-Avon is the old market town of Henley-in-Arden, the remains of its medieval market cross still on show. It is a lovely base for walking holidays, set as it is, among rolling green hills in the very heart of old England. The village stands beside the River Alne and in Tudor times this was the centre of the mighty Forest of Arden - the setting adopted by Shakespeare for his play 'As You Like It'. The trees were cut down and used as fuel to smelt iron before the advent of coal-mining; now only sparse clumps of trees remain. Henley's mile-long High Street is lined with oak-timbered buildings, dating variously from the 15th, 16th & 17th centuries. Thus it is that some of the forest survives, especially in many of the 16th century timber-framed buildings that employed oak from Arden Forest.
The pick of these buildings is the 15th century parish church of St John the Baptist, with its fine stone carvings and a tower which dominates the High Street and the 15th century Guildhall, still used by the ancient manor court, which appoints bailiffs, constables and other local officers. Also, the Blue Bell Inn dating from the 15th century and the White Swan Inn, 16th century in origin, are worth discovering.
The 12th century church of St Nicholas, with its Perpendicular west tower and Norman chancel arch, stands in the village of Beaudesert, more ancient even than neighbouring Henley. Here too, visitors may happen upon a goodly number of timber-framed cottages. Nearby the church are earthworks, the sole remains of the Norman built Beaudesert Castle.
The village of Shottery lies between Henley-in-Arden and Stratford-upon-Avon, and is most famous for incorporating Anne Hathaway's Cottage - this, the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife. The cottage is, in fact, a substantial, thatched farmstead of 12 rooms, and remained in the Hathaway's possession until 1746. Open to the public, one can retrace the steps, which the courting couple might have taken, prior to their marriage in 1582. In the little parlour, is the uncomfortably narrow bench or settle, where upon Shakespeare is thought to have courted his future bride; other pieces of furniture owned by the Hathaway's also remain on view. A typical English cottage garden is presented for viewing, set-out with plants and herbs of the Elizabethan period.
Very near to Shottery is the pretty village of Wilmcote. Here stands Mary Arden's Cottage, once the home of Shakespeare's mother. It is a perfectly preserved 16th century thatched and timber-framed farmhouse, where Mary Arden lived, until her marriage to the poet's father, John Shakespeare. The interior of the cottage is restored to its original Tudor appearance. In the converted outbuildings, to the rear of the house, is a museum of farming and rural life, known as Warwickshire Bygones. The garden has a huge dovecote, with over 600 pigeonholes; this can house 3000 birds at nesting time. Robert Arden, in his capacity as Lord of the Manor, was the only villager permitted such a dovecote.