Contents  The Life and Times of William Shakespeare

Mary Arden's House (the mother of William Shakespeare)

This superb thatched and timber-framed Tudor farmstead was identified in the18th century as childhood home of Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare. Mary Arden was the youngest of eight daughters to Robert Arden, an affluent Warwickshire husbandman. The Arden family had a notable family pedigree, with probable links to Walter Arden of Park Hall and esteemed ancestors stretching as far back as Saxon times. The farmhouse is situated in the beautiful green-field setting of Wilmcote, a village 5 km north-west of Stratford.

Mary Arden married William Shakespeare's father John Shakespeare in 1557. There wasn't a church in Wilmcote itself so it is likely that they married in the nearby Parish Church of Aston Cantalow.

The striking timbered frontage is framed by dry stone walls and box hedges. Until recently the oak half-timbered structure was hidden under a cladding of stucco which inadvertently kept the fabric in remarkably good condition. The building is appropriately constructed using oak from the nearby Arden forest and stone from Wilmcote itself. The house has an intriguing, fairytale atmosphere with uneven walls, irregular handmade tiles and tiny dormer windows.

It is fortunate that the building has been continually inhabited by farmers ensuring that the outbuildings remained largely intact. Outdoor attractions include a dovecote with 657 nesting holes, cowsheds, stables, a cider mill and barns. The outbuildings and nearby Glebe Farm now house an extensive museum illustrating rural life over the last 400 years. The site now has considerable educational value in addition to its historic interest. There are daily demonstrations by the Heart of England falconry, field walks, gypsy caravans and a resident blacksmith. The farm is home to long-horn cows, prize-winning Cotswold sheep, rare breeds of poultry and a pond full of ducks.

In 1930 the house was bought by the Birthplace Trust and the interior has been painstakingly furnished in keeping with a wealthy Tudor farming family. Original features retained include great wooden beams, a stone lagged floor and a great open fire place in the kitchen.

Life and Times of William Shakespeare

Contents