52°12N 1°41W, pop (2001e) 111 500. Town in Warwickshire, C England, UK; on the R Avon, 13 km/8 mi SW of Warwick; birthplace of William Shakespeare; railway; tourism, engineering, boatbuilding, textiles; Royal Shakespeare Theatre (season AprJan); Anne Hathaway's Cottage; Holy Trinity Church (where Shakespeare and his wife are buried); Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day (23 Apr); Mop Fair (12 Oct).
Stratford-upon-Avon is a town on the River Avon in south Warwickshire, England.
The town is the birthplace and deathbed of William Shakespeare and because of its Shakespearean connections the area is a popular tourist destination, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world.
The local district is named after the town, but the district is called Stratford-on-Avon, whereas the town is officially called Stratford-upon-Avon.
Industry
Apart from tourism, other industries in the town include aluminium ware, narrowboat building and insurance.
History and Geography
Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and grew up as a market town in medieval times.
Travel
Stratford is close to the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, and is easily accessible from junction 15 of the M40 motorway.
The town has a new cycle-path, is on the canal network, and launched park and ride scheme in 2006.
Tourist attractions
The town is located on the Avon, on the banks of which stands the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Other tourist attractions within the town include the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and two contemporary buildings, Hall's Croft (the one-time home of Shakespeare's daughter, Susannah) and New Place, which stands on the site of an earlier house originally owned by the playwright himself.
Near to the town are several other properties associated with Shakespeare: Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Shottery, the former home of Shakespeare's wife, Mary Arden's House, the former home of his mother, and farms and buildings at Snitterfield, the former home of his father.
Non-Shakespearean attractions include a Teddy Bear Museum, a Butterfly Farm, a Witchcraft Exhibition, the Bancroft Gardens, and The Black Swan (locally known as the 'Dirty Duck'), a pub said to be frequented by actors 'fresh from the stage'.
A great way to see all that Stratford has to offer is by taking the award winning Stratford Town Walk.
Also, the award winning Stratford Town Ghost Walk is a walk around the historic streets in Stratford - guided by members of Equity the professional entertainers association, and professional magicians.
For evening entertainment, the Original Ghost Walk of Stratford .
Six kilometers away is Charlecote Park, an historic house set in a deer park, from where Shakespeare reputedly poached deer.
Eight miles away is Ragley Hall, one of England's finest stately homes and home to the Jerwood Sculpture Park.
The town had a publicly-funded art gallery, The Gallery, but this was closed in 2004.
The influx of tourists into Stratford has caused tension with residents for decades, and there are perennial complaints about numerous tour buses clogging certain roads in the town.
There are plans to refurbish the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and to build offices and flats on the defunct cattle market next to the railway station.
Each year on or about Michaelmas Day Stratford hosts one of the largest Mop Fairs in the country.
Educational establishments
Stratford is also home to several institutions set up for the study of Shakespeare, including the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which holds books and documents related to the playwright, and the Shakespeare Institute, an academic college: Stratford-upon-Avon College.
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