William Shakespeare : Shakespeare Country

Warwickshire's contributions to literature are mainly based on the works of one man. But when you consider that the man was William Shakespeare, you understand the region's importance to both the history of UK literature and tourism.

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Shakespeare Country

The gentle hills and historic towns of Shakespeare Country left an indelible mark on the Bard and obviously helped to inspire his greatest works. The region's rolling green pastures allowed his father to buy and sell wool (illegally, we might add!) while the market town of Stratford upon Avon not only played host to the author throughout his life, but still honours him today through plays and annual festivals.

The Warwickshire landscape is not only the perfect place to explore the life of Shakespeare, but a stunningly beautiful location in its own right. Explore limestone villages, Tudor houses, market towns and palaces with sprawling estates - it's the perfect UK break in a nutshell!

• Find cottages in Shakespeare Country
• There are hundreds of cottages throughout Shakespeare Country
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• Download a FREE Audiobook TODAY!
• Choose from over 40,000 audiobooks. Ideal for that long car journey to a cottage holiday. Transferrable to many SatNav units, MP3 players including the iPod, and mobile phones. www.audible.co.uk/cottages4u

Top spots: where did the authors find inspiration?

• Shakespeare's houses, Stratford upon Avon
  Visit Shakespeare's birthplace, mother's childhood home, wife's former home, daughter's home and the former residence of the Bard himself.
  visit location in our maps >>
• Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Upon Avon
  Shakespeare's final resting place.
  visit location in our maps >>
• Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth
  This magnificent abbey was the former residence of Jane Austen's relatives. The location greatly inspired the author following a visit.(Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LF)
  visit location in our maps >>
• RSC, Stratford Upon Avon
  Stratford has several theatres with regular performances of Shakespeare's work making it the definitive place to see the Bard performed.
  visit location in our maps >>
• St Mary Immaculate Church, Warwick
  JRR Tolkien was married at this church in 1916. The city of Warwick was also alleged to have inspired Minas Tirith and Edoras in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
  visit location in our maps >>

• Shakespeare Apartments - Juliet
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• Sleeps 2
• Located in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon, over the Food of Love Cafe.
• More details>

• Fenn House : Alvechurch
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• Sleeps 8
• Fenn House is a beautifully converted, beamed Victorian building.
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• Measure - Shakespeare Cottages
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• Sleeps 4-6
• Measure Cottage is located in a quaint little village called Wootton Wawen.
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• The Old School House : Pebworth
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• Sleeps 2
• This Victorian school house is located just a few miles from Stratford-upon-Avon.
• More details>

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  Play Sample
• The Ages of Man (Dramatised)
  Ages of Man is a one-man play performed by John Gielgud of a collection of speeches from Shakespeare's plays. The speeches show the journey of life from birth to death.
  Gielgud gave the first experimental performance of Ages of Man in a house in St. James Square in London. It premiered at the Freemason's Hall at the 1957 Edinburgh Festival to a sold-out house and an overwhelming success. He then went on to perform the recital for the next 10 years all over the world, winning Gielgud a special Tony Award "for contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare".
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• The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works
  Developed in partnership with The Royal Shakespeare Company, this fresh new Complete Works combines the very latest scholarship with elegant writing and design. It boasts a wealth of features that will appeal to public and academic libraries, teachers, students and lovers of Shakespeare everywhere.
• Find out more >

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• Favourite Shakespeare Country Recipes
  This charming little book opens with an alphabetical list of the recipes contained within. Each recipe opens with the title, a note, the list of ingredients plus the method. Metric Conversion tables are given on the last page before a complete list of the titles in the Salmon series on the inside back cover.
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• Pub Walks in Warwickshire
  A collection of twenty circular walks based on good local pubs, with maps and photographs.
  
  
  
  
  
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• 100 Walks in Warwickshire and the West Midlands
  Part of a series of books for the keen walker, this is a guide to 100 circular walks, ranging from 3-12 miles in length, in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
• The walking territory in these two counties remains largely undiscovered, as they are better known for their towns and cities, such as Stratford and Leamington, but there should be walks to appeal to all tastes.
• Each walk has a map with points of interest and refreshment places detailed en route as well as suggestions for easy car parking. The route descriptions and maps are on facing pages of the book for easy reference.
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• Warwickshire's Wildflowers
  "Warwickshire's Wildflowers" provides a modern snapshot of the flora of Warwickshire and reflects heavily on recent changes, both losses and gains.
• It is as much a book about Warwickshire (defined here as including Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and much of east Birmingham) as about the plants themselves.
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