On the bank of the river is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It occupies the site of a Saxon monastery, and was probably completed in the fifteenth century. It was greatly restored in 1890-1892 and 1898. The central tower dates probably from the twelfth century. This is surmounted by a lofty spire.
The interior of the church contains many things of interest, but those that attract the visitor most strongly are, of course, the ones connected with Shakespeare. There is his grave, and there on the wall above is the bust which was executed soon after his death. The stained glass window nearby, representing the Seven Ages, was erected with the contributions of American visitors. Near Shakespeare’s tomb are those of his wife, Anne Hathaway, of his daughter and son-in-law, and of Thomas Nash, the first husband of his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
Shakespeare’s House, in which the poet was born in 1564, is now national property.
The Shakespeare Memorial Building, the site for which was presented to the town of Stratford by Charles Edward Flower, stands on the banks of the Avon a little above Trinity Church. It was erected in 1879. It includes a Theater in which annual performances are held in April, and occasional performances during the winter. The “Droeshout Portrait” of Shakespeare, an authentic portrait of the dramatist, is one of the treasures kept in this building. In the adjoining grounds is the Shakespeare Monument presented in 1888 by the sculptor Lord Ronald Gower. On top of the Monument is a large seated figure of the poet, and around the base are figures of Lady Macbeth, Prince Hal, Falstaff, and Hamlet.
The Red Horse Hotel in Stratford contains a bedroom and a sitting-room occupied by Washington Irving. There may still be seen the chair in which he sat and the poker with which he meditatively stirred the fire.
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 8, SERIAL No. 108
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.
THE GUILD CHAPEL AND THE SITE OF NEW PLACE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
