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Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Anne Hathaway's Cottage, made famous on chocolate boxes and tea towels, is arguably the most picturesque of the Birthplace Trust properties. The cottage nests in the idyllic setting of Shottery, which lies 2 km west of Stratford. The cottage belonged to the prosperous Hathaway family and was the pre-marital home of William Shakespeare's wife, Anne. Although referred to as a cottage, it is actually a substantial, twelve-roomed, Elizabethan farmhouse. Externally the building with its low thatched roof, timbered walls and lattice windows has changed very little since Anne Hathaway's time. Parts of the building structure date back further than the 15th century, using some of the earliest English house-building techniques. The cottage was built on a slope, and parts of the building consequently sit at different levels.

Internally the structure of the house has changed little; the house has now been divided up and would originally have been one. There are many 16th century fireplaces still in place and the remains of the original Great Hall are clearly visible. The bedroom upstairs contains an Elizabethan wooden bedstead with a mattress of rush cords threaded onto the wooden frame. Legend has it that this is the bed that Anne Hathaway was born upon.

In Shakespeare’s time the Hathaways were well-established farmers and the cottage was originally a farmhouse known as ‘Hewlands’ and had over 37 hectares of land attached to it. Descendants of the family occupied it until the nineteenth century when it was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1892. The Trust restored it to its original character, removing the Victorian items that the Hathaway family had collected. The original open hearth fireplace was restored to its previous state. Beside the fireplace is an old wooden settle, on which legend says William Shakespeare courted Anne Hathaway. In 1969 the cottage was severely damaged by fire but was later restored once again by the Birthplace Trust.

There are many enchanting footpaths winding across the fields from Stratford to Shottery, tracing the paths that Shakespeare may have walked on his way to see Anne. The cottage has retained its own beautiful, old-fashioned, English garden complete with orchard. A few metres away a tree garden has been planted in honour of William Shakespeare. The Cottage has the advantage of being set in beautiful countryside, which provides a perfect backdrop throughout the seasons. It is not surprising then that so many of Shakespeare's works appear inspired by the countryside around the hamlet of Shottery, perched on the edge of the Arden Forest.

Life and Times of William Shakespeare

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