Bard and lodging

THE house that Shakespeare was born in is still standing, but the one that he died in is not. The latter - a large residence bought at the height of his fame and fortune - sometime subsequently passed into the hands of a truculent clergyman, one Rev Gastrell.

Gastrell reputedly despised the theatre and the throngs of tourists the house attracted. And when the town council refused to reduce his rates to compensate for the imposition, he first hacked down the gardens' ancient mulberry tree and then had the house demolished and left town.

That was around 1758. It is sobering to recall that even then Shakespearean, pilgrims were descending on Stratford in numbers sufficient to drive a clergyman demented. And two and a half centuries further on, the Stratford tourist operation is like the wooden floor in Shakespeare's birthplace - a highly polished affair.

There are two paths for the modern day pilgrim to tread: a day time tour of five houses associated with the bard, and a night time visit to the theatres. Both experiences can be easily accommodated in a weekend, and the town itself is a pleasant base for a holiday, with its backdrop of Tudor style architecture, in varying degrees of mock.

The main houses on the trail are the Shakespeare birthplace and museum, now the focal point of a pedestrianised street in the centre of the town; Anne Hathaway's Cottage, on the outskirts; and further out in the country side, the ancestral home of the poet's mother, Mary Arden.

Hall's Croft, the home and surgery of Shakespeare's son in law doctor, and Nash's House, neighbour to the demolished retirement pile, complete the collection. Hall's Croft has an added interest as a kind of museum of Elizabethan medicine and the guides will fondly relate some of the grizzly remedies of the time.

The houses are linked by a double decker open top bus which offers a running commentary on the history of the houses and the general area. This benefit aside, the bus is chiefly of use in saving you the three mile walk to and from Mary Arden's home.

The latter is the most family friendly of the attractions, with the house's own charms augmented by a turn of the century farmyard museum and a menagerie of live farm animals and fowl.

Not the least of the place's attractions is a falconry display, a rare chance for many people to see the awesome flying skills of the falcon at first hand. The display is complemented by an id entity parade of resentful looking members of the falcon family. Not an official stop on the tour bus route but a compulsory one for serious pilgrims is Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptised, married and interred. His grave is in the chancel, protected by a threatening verse that curses anyone who would disturb his bones. The graves of his wife, daughter and son in law are alongside.

A stroll around the town will yield a few other little treasures, such as the higgledy piggledy Tudor construction of Masons Court and the 15th century mural in the White Swan Hotel.

There are three main theatres in Stratford, all owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre itself is the principle platform for the bard's plays: its 1996/97 season starts on April 18th but there is an early season bonus this year, with a touring performance of Twelfth Night, running from March 21st to April 10th.

The Elizabethan style Swan Theatre shows a mixture of Shakespearean and other Elizabethan drama, and The Other Place specialises in the avant garde (though its current offering is anything but avant garde - Barnum). Tours of the theatres are also arranged daily.

The theatre weary might like to pay a visit to Stratford's butterfly farm, complete with its creepy spider collection. And if you have more time and your own wheels, the environs of Stratford hold a number of other worthwhile attractions.

Warwick Castle, maybe the finest medieval castle in England is just a few miles further up the river Avon. The stately home of Ragley Hall is a few miles west and the magnificent Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, is within comfortable driving distance to the south.