Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Shottery

No trip to Stratford-upon-Avon would be complete without visiting Anne Hathaway's Cottage. We had purchased one of those tickets that enables you to go and visit more than one place when we had been to Shakespeare's Birthplace and saved some pennies in so doing!

We were here out of season and had the whole place almost to ourselves.

We were told that the place is heaving in the Summer.

A photograph of the Other Half and Our Daughter before we went into the cottage.

The man who told us a bit about the history of the place said that we couldn't take any photographs so when he wasn't looking I took a few!!!

The photograph above is of "The Hathaway Bed."

Did you know that Anne was pregnant by William and that they therefore had to get married  in a bit of a hurry - a shotgun wedding!

William was 18 years old when he married - in those days he would have been a minor in the eyes of the law. Anne however was 26 - so William was her toy boy!

Another bed in the house - it is a four bedroomed property.

William and Anne had three children - Susanna and then twins, Hamnet (a boy) and Judith. Hamnet died when he was 11 years old. Judith however lived till she was 77 years old - a good age in the 1600's!

After touring the house we went to the Sculpture Garden.

Our Daughter and the Other Half in the Sculpture Garden.

A sculpture of Falstaff's tummy!

I thought this sculpture looked a bit rude! I didn't recognize the characters until Our Daughter said, "It's Titania and Bottom from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

I quickly asked her how she knew that and was told that Year 6 had performed it for them at school recently. This of course was the first that I had heard about it!

Every now and again I ask Our Daughter what did she learn or do at school and invariably get the reply "Nothing really."

Then out of the blue she will say something knowledgeable!

Kids!

The apple orchard was spookily quiet.

Until next time.

June.