Hello there once again you lovely BISC rock and rollers! This Blog is about our trip to Stratford-On-Avon, the actual birthplace of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare.
With Tony as our driver we were well on our way by 8.30am on Saturday 30 January as we travelled through some beautiful countryside. Stratford-Upon-Avon is one of those picturesque English market towns, where the original Tudor buildings still stand. The Avon is the name of the river that flows through the town. And just to confuse you, there are three rivers called Avon in England. Avon derives from the Anglo-Saxon meaning water. The river that flows through Bristol, including the dock and Gorge area is also called the River Avon, and there is a third River Avon near Stonehenge. The Bristol Avon begins in the Cotswolds and flows through the countryside east of Bristol including through another ancient small market town called Bradford-Upon-Avon. Dr Chill lived around here when he was a teenager. It was not uncommon to see international tourists who had ended up in Bradford-Upon-Avon rather than Stratford-Upon-Avon some 100 miles away.
To start with, we visited ‘Shakespeare’s Birthplace’ where we were part of a famous lineage of people who had previously visited the place, notably English writers including Keats, Dickens and Hardy as well as Dr Chill! Nash’s House/Newplace and Hall’s Croft followed thereafter, both with very interesting connections to Shakespeare and amazing gardens to wader in. The guides at all three the venues were very entertaining and knowledgeable, even though they were slightly overwhelmed by the size of our group.
To end off the day we were treated with a Cream Tea out of this world served at both Henley Street Tea Rooms and at Benson’s. The creams teas were the crown of the trap which overall was a phenomenal success and gave us the time to catch up and share our experiences of the day.
Some related points of interest for you to note: On 30 January 1649, King Charles I was executed and England became a republic for 11 years until 1660. The execution of Charles I occurred some 33 years after Shakespeare’s death. Also: some years ago there was some controversy, questioning whether Shakespeare or Francis Bacon wrote his plays? Certainly there was intrigue with a number of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, including the dramatist Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe was murdered in Deptford London, then a naval port. It has subsequently been suggested that Marlowe was a spy and was killed on orders of the King! The opinions that Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s plays or that Marlowe was a spy have never been substantiated.
Well that’s enough history for today, and we at BISC hope that you enjoyed the trip. Don’t forget our activities for February, including Chinese Chess and Calligraphy night on Friday 12 February, and a Pancake Party on Tuesday 16 February, followed by a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury. Please book early for all our events so not to be disappointed. Also don’t forget the our very own Cream Teas on Mondays from 3.30 - 5.00 pm at BISC.
Have a happy week and this is Dr Chill signing off, see you at BISC.
