New Place
 New Place sketched by George Vertue when he visited Stratford-upon-Avon in 1737. |
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| Type | Gardens |
|---|---|
| Managed by | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |
| Public access | yes |
| Museum | yes (adjacent in Nash's House) |
| Region | |
| Address | Chapel Street Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire England |
| Parking | No |
| Shop | Yes, mall on-site |
| Website | www.shakespeare.org.uk |
New Place (grid reference SP201548) is the name of William Shakespeare's final place of residence in Stratford-upon-Avon. He died there in 1616. Though the house no longer exists, the land is owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
The house rested on the corner of Chapel Street and Chapel Lane and was apparently the second-biggest dwelling in the town. It was built in 1483 by Hugh Clopton, a wealthy merchant and future Lord Mayor of the City of London. Built of timber and brick (then an innovation in Stratford) it had ten fireplaces, five handsome gables and grounds large enough to incorporate two barns and an orchard.[1]
Shakespeare bought the house in 1597, nine months after the death of his son Hamnet, for sixty British pounds. Shakespeare was associated with London for much of his life, and tradition states that he retired to Stratford in his later years, though he still visited London as late as 1614. He bought the house in 1597 but didn't move into it until 1610.
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[edit] After Shakespeare's death
In 1616 the house passed to his daughter Susanna Hall, and then his granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall, whose husband, Thomas Nash, owned the house next door. After Elizabeth died, the house was returned to the Clopton family, who had built the house.
In 1759 then-owner Reverend Francis Gastrell, having become tired of visitors, attacked and destroyed a mulberry tree in the garden said to have been planted by Shakespeare. In retaliation, the townsfolk destroyed New Place's windows. Gastrell applied for local permission to extend the property. It was granted, but upon completion of this work, the annual tax on the property was increased substantially. Rather than pay the increased tax, he demolished the house, choosing instead to live next door at Nash's House, which he also owned.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust acquired New Place and Nash's House in 1891. Today the foundations of New Place are accessible through a museum that resides in Nash's House, the house next door.
[edit] Gallery
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Gardens
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Knot Garden, New place.
[edit] References
- ^ Bryson, Bill (2008). Shakespeare: The World as a Stage. London: Harper Perennial. p. 119. ISBN 9780007197903.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: New Place |
- New Place - Official Website
- The Stratford Guide For more info on the attractions of Stratford-Upon-Avon
Coordinates: 52°11′28″N 1°42′27″W / 52.19108°N 1.70739°W
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