2 Best Sights in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England, England

On paper this museum might not be the obvious choice for a fun afternoon on your vacation, but it’s actually a very lovely time capsule of an interesting and important part of Birmingham’s industrial history. It was on this very site that Alfred and Edwin Newman (the Newman Brothers, who previously had been accomplished brass fitters) first started making coffins in the late Victorian era. The company quickly established itself as the area's best coffin-makers and was soon making coffins for the likes of Queen Mary, King George V, and Winston Churchill. Though the company fell into decline starting in the 1960s, eventually closing in the 1990s, guided tours now let you clock in as workers once did before taking you behind the scenes in the manager's office (where you can listen to spooky audio of one of the most prominent figures in the company’s history), onto the factory floor, and even into the shroud room. Guided tours occur at 11 am from Friday through Sunday, with self-guided tours every half-hour from noon to 3 pm. There are also guided tours at 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 3 pm on Thursdays.

Dating from the early 15th century, the Guildhall is where a young Shakespeare went to school and where he was allegedly first introduced to the world of theater. Once the administrative center of the town, it now serves as a heritage center where visitors can see newly discovered medieval wall paintings, including two of the oldest surviving Tudor roses in England, plus take part in a lesson in the very room where Shakespeare was once taught. In the 16th century, the Guildhall was where the city council once sat, including John Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s father, who was town mayor in the 1560s. Around this time it also became home to the King’s New School, and shortly afterward William Shakespeare attended as a pupil. On the first floor is the Guildhall proper, where traveling acting companies performed to obtain their licenses. Many historians believe that it was after seeing the troupe known as the Earl of Leicester’s Men in 1587 that Shakespeare got the acting bug and set off for London. Today the building is still home to a school, and lessons take place on weekday mornings during term time before the attraction opens at 11 am.