Famous for its beautiful thatched roof and quintessential English country garden, Anne Hathaway’s cottage also sheds light on Shakespeare’s early marriage to a much older woman. And, contrary to rumors, it seems that it was a love couple .
The childhood home of Shakespeare’s girlfriend
If you’ve imagined punctuating your tour of England with a visit to a pretty half-timbered, thatched, and white cottage, you’ve probably seen photos of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. After all, it is one of the most famous thatched huts in the world, featured on calendars, book covers, websites, posters, you name it.
But did you know that it is the centerpiece of a family history with just a hint of scandal?
About the cabin
Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife and widow, was born in the 550-year-old cottage that bears her name in 1556. It was built in 1463, originally as just three rooms. The first Hathaway to live there was Anne’s grandfather. During Anne’s childhood, the family was a successful sheep herder. After Anne’s father died, her brother bought the property in the house. This is an English property term that means that the family owned the land directly. The house was built with naturally curved wooden beams, filled with beards and lime washed mud (woven twigs filled with mud) and a thick thatched roof made from reeds.
Shakespeare is unlikely to have lived there, but he probably courted Anne while she was living in the cottage.
The house was occupied by descendants of the Anne family until 1911 and some of the rare family furniture dates back to the 16th century. It’s romantic to think of the beautiful heavily carved oak Hathaway bed as Shakespeare’s queen size bed, but it probably wasn’t. Most likely it is the bed valued at £ 3 in inventory that was part of Anne Hathaway’s brother’s will.
Love Match o Shotgun Wedding?
Anne and Will’s marriage was probably quite surprising in the West Midland market town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Young Will’s father, John Shakespeare, was a successful businessman, a creepy leather and fur trader, and a local politician. He served as a councilor, chief magistrate, and eventually mayor of Stratford-on-Avon.
His well-educated son (Shakespeare attended King Edward VI School, an elementary school for boys that still exists that only started admitting girls in 2013) was expected to marry a respectable girl in due course and likely join the his father’s business. Anne was the daughter of a country farmer: Shottery, where the cabin is located, is about a mile from Stratford. She was considerably older than Shakespeare (she was 26 and 18) and was already pregnant when they married. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding.
And the marriage took place in haste, without publishing the prohibitions, an essential part of English custom and law, and required a special license from the bishop.
So a shotgun wedding? Well that’s a theory. Another is that, at the time of her wedding in 1582, Anne was probably better socially established than Shakespeare. Contrary to later stories that suggested her age made her a spinster (in our modern sense), it was the average age for brides of the time and an eligible young woman. His father, a Yeoman farmer (meaning he owned his land or had a long lease) had died the previous year, leaving him a small inheritance that would be his when he married.
By then, John Shakespeare had fallen into hard times, had been prosecuted for illegal trade, and had withdrawn from public life. William Shakespeare could have pursued Anne, the estate’s elder woman, as easily as vice versa. And when it came to pregnancy, it was not uncommon for engaged couples to participate in an ancient British ceremony known as a handshake (the expression “to tie the knot” comes from this). A handshake was a premarital commitment and it was not uncommon for brides to arrive at their church wedding, a year later, already in the familiar way.
It is a widely known story that Shakespeare ran away to make his fortune in London, leaving Anne with her family in Stratford-upon-Avon. However, it is unlikely that he left to escape a loveless marriage in which he had been trapped with an older woman. When he left for London, he and Anne had already had three children. And in the end, he returned to live his retirement with her in Stratford-upon-Avon. He saw his daughter Susanna married to a prominent physician, enjoyed the birth of his first grandchild, participated in local politics, and left Anne a very wealthy widow.
What to see at Anne Hathaway’s cabin
- Explore the house – Guides from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will explain the uses and contents of the various rooms and share stories about what is known about Shakespeare’s marriage and family scandals. Don’t miss the remarkable Hathaway bed, described above, and take note of the kitchen and living room that are part of the original 1463 home.
- Visit the idyllic gardens – Imagine the perfect English cottage garden, filled with a profusion of seemingly overgrown flowers and shrubs, and you probably have Anne Hathaway’s cottage in mind. The garden is as lovely as every postcard and calendar page you’ve ever seen. There is also a fruit orchard with traditional varieties that were probably grown in Shakespeare’s time; a labyrinth ; a growing willow house made of living branches and inspired by the Twelfth Night; Shakespeare’s Tree and Sculpture Garden filled with trees mentioned in plays and sculptures inspired by them, and an exhibition on organic farming and the use of herbs in medicine and cooking.
- Retail Therapy : The excellent gift shop is stocked with products inspired by the house and not available anywhere else.
- Have Cream Tea : Traditional English cream teas and other light meals are served in the cafeteria, which offers beautiful views of the cottage.
What to see nearby
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is less than 10 minutes from all of the Shakespeare family homes maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. These include:
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace: The home and gardens of Shakespeare’s father, John. It is a significant half-timbered house in the center of Stratford-upon-Avon and exhibits rare artifacts, including a copy of Shakespeare’s first folio. There is a resident acting company, and in addition to watching live performances, you can join in.
- Mary Arden’s Farm – The farm where Shakespeare’s mother grew up. On site are farm workers and costumed guides, presenting the skills, tasks, and cooking of an authentic Tudor farm. There are also breeds of farm animals. Kids love it.
- Hall’s Croft – The 17th century home of Shakespeare’s daughter and her husband, physician John Hall. The house offers a fascinating insight into medium Jacobean practices, including the herbs, gemstones, and rocks that were used in healing at the time. It is also an example of the home of a relatively wealthy middle class family.
- Shakespeare’s New Place: Shakespeare’s family home for the last 19 years of his life has become the newest attractions. It is an Elizabethan garden and sculpture garden, as well as an exhibition center. There. You will learn about Shakespeare’s life in Stratford and the surprising story of what happened to his final home that is no longer there.
- The Royal Shakespeare Theater – The theater, on the River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon, is absolutely the place to open your eyes to the most engaging Shakespearean theater you’ve probably seen alongside period plays and modern theater. There is a full schedule with something to see on at least one of the three stages of the theater most of the year. There is something for everyone from Shakespeare fans to Shakespeare novices and generally families with younger children.
Essentials
- Where: 22 Cottage Lane, Shottery, Warwickshire, CV37 9HH
- Directions: The cottage is located approximately one mile west of central Stratford-upon-Avon along local roads and country lanes. The easiest way to get there is on the CitySightseeing tour bus. The bus travels through Stratford frequently, visiting all of Shakespeare’s houses and passing other sites: Shakespeare’s school and medieval almshouses. The guides are often actors who work or train at the Royal Shakespeare Theater (or wait for a break there), so the hit is usually quite entertaining. In 2019, a 24-hour unlimited ticket costs £ 15.
- Hours: All Shakespeare houses are open every day throughout the year, but hours are seasonal and some have short seasonal closings, so check the website for opening hours.
- Admission: In 2019, a full-price adult ticket to the Anne Hathaway House costs £ 12.50 or £ 11.50 for concessions. Tickets for children, family and seniors are available. If you plan to visit more than one of the Shakespeare Trust homes or are staying close by, it makes sense to purchase a “Full Story” ticket for very significant savings. The ticket offers 12 months of unlimited access to Shakespeare’s five houses. Tickets can be purchased online and the full adult price of all attractions is just £ 22.50
- Phone: +44 (0) 1789 204 016
- More information
