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

The half-timber Old House, crisscrossed with black beams and whitewashed walls, is a fine example of domestic Jacobean architecture. Built in 1621, the house started out as a private home and spent years as a butcher’s shop and then a bank, but it has been preserved as a museum since 1929. It’s kept in the style it would have been in the early 17th century. Across the three floors, you can explore a kitchen, dining hall, parlor, and bedrooms complete with four-poster beds. Look for the rare wall paintings and the unusual dog’s door between the nursery and master bedroom.

This 26-acre open-air museum on social history gives insight into what life was like centuries ago for the men and women who worked in the coal-producing region known as the Black Country (a term that arose from the air pollution from the region's coal mines), and it’s a little like walking onto a film set. The town of Dudley, 10 miles northwest of Birmingham, was where coal was first used for smelting iron in the 17th century. The replicated village is made up of buildings from around the region, including a chain maker’s workshop; his-and-hers hardware stores (pots and pans for women, tools and sacks for men); a druggist; and a general store where costumed women describe life in a poor industrial community in the 19th century. In 2024, the museum added an old-fashioned post office, a military surplus shop, and a grocery store. You can also watch Charlie Chaplin films in the 1920s cinema, peer into the depths of a mine, or ride on a barge to experience canal travel of yesteryear. For sustenance, visit the café, a 1930s-era fried-fish shop, and the Bottle & Glass Inn for ales and drinks. Peaky Blinders fans will appreciate the special themed nights where you can dress up and step back to the 1920s.  

To avoid the numerous school parties, visit on the weekend or during school vacations. The museum, 3 miles from the M5, is best reached by car. Leave M5 at Junction 2 by the A4123, and then take A4037 at Tipton. Trains from Birmingham New Street to Tipton Station take 17 minutes; buses from the train station run past the museum, which is a mile away.

The village of Bournville (5 miles south of Birmingham city center) contains this museum devoted to—what else?—chocolate. In 1879, the Quaker Cadbury brothers moved the family business from the city to this "factory in a garden." The museum traces the history of the cocoa bean and the Cadbury dynasty, and there are themed activity areas. In 2023, this popular longtime attraction was taken over by Merlin Entertainments, which looks after Alton Towers (a theme park) and Legoland, among other places. The experience here is getting much more interactive, with a new Cadbury Chocolate Quest ride introduced in 2024. If Legoland is anything to go by, perhaps visitors will see large-scale re-creations of buildings and objects made entirely of chocolate soon.  Opening times change almost daily, and reservations are essential; call or go online to check times and book tickets.

A celebrated house in the village of Hampton Lucy just outside Stratford, Charlecote Park is a prodigy house (a substantial and elaborate manor), built in 1558 by Sir Thomas Lucy to impress Queen Elizabeth I; the house is even shaped like the letter "E" in her honor. Shakespeare knew the house—he was supposedly even caught poaching deer here. Overlooking the River Avon, the redbrick manor is striking and sprawling. It was renovated in neo-Elizabethan style by the Lucy family, represented here by numerous portraits, during the mid-19th century. A carved ebony bed is one of many spectacular pieces of furniture. The Tudor gatehouse is unchanged since Shakespeare’s day, and a collection of carriages, a Victorian kitchen, and a small brewery occupy the outbuildings. Indulge in a game of croquet near the quirky, thatched, Victorian-era summer hut, or explore the deer park landscaped by Capability Brown. Interesting themed tours and walks take place in summer—call in advance to find out what's on offer. The house is 5 miles northeast of Stratford; by car it is reached via the B4086, or it costs around £20 in a taxi from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Chester’s unique Rows, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, are essentially double rows of stores, one at street level and the other on the second floor, with galleries overlooking the street. Whether you want to shop or simply ogle them, the Rows should not be missed. They line the junction of the four main streets in the old town and have medieval crypts below them, some of which reveal Roman foundations.

Well-landscaped grounds and natural enclosures make the 128-acre zoo one of the country's most popular and also one of its largest. Highlights include the Realm of the Red Ape (where you can see orangutans), the jaguar enclosure, and the Dragons in Danger habitat (home to the Komodo dragon). Eleven miles of paths wind through the zoo, and there's a Lazy River boat trip. Baby animals are often on display, and 10-minute animal talks, aimed at kids, take place at various locations throughout the day; little ones will especially love the Madagascar PLAY zone.

Accessible from several points and providing splendid views of Chester and its surroundings, the city walls are the country's most complete Roman and medieval defensive walls. The whole circuit is 2 miles, but if your time is short, climb the steps at Newgate and walk along toward Eastgate to see the great ornamental Eastgate Clock, erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Lots of small shops near this part of the walls sell old books, old postcards, antiques, and jewelry. Where the Bridge of Sighs (named after the enclosed bridge in Venice that it closely resembles) crosses the canal, descend to street level and walk up Northgate Street into Market Square.

On paper this museum might not be the obvious choice for a fun afternoon on your vacation, but it’s actually a wonderful time capsule of an interesting and important part of Birmingham’s industrial history. It was on this site in the Jewellery Quarter 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 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 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, noon, 1 pm, and 3 pm on Thursday and at 11 am and 1 pm on Wednesday.

Crowded with gilded, carved, and painted tombs, the Beauchamp Chantry within this church is considered one of the finest medieval chapels in England. Despite the wealth of late-medieval and Tudor chivalry, the chapel was built in the 15th century in honor of the somewhat-less-than-chivalrous Richard de Beauchamp, who consigned Joan of Arc to burn at the stake. Alongside his impressive effigy in gilded bronze lie the fine tombs of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, adviser and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, and Dudley’s brother, Ambrose. The church’s chancel, distinguished by its flying ribs, houses the alabaster table tomb of Thomas Beauchamp, one of the first Knights of the Order of the Garter, and his wife, Katherine Mortimer. In the Norman crypt, look for the rare ducking stool (a chair in which people were tied for public punishment). It is possible to take part in traditional brass rubbings for free, or for a fee you can climb the tower for sweeping views of the Warwickshire countryside. Check the website for seasonal opening times. 

A neoclassical country mansion remodeled in the 1760s by Scottish architect Robert Adam has been repurposed by the Peter Moores Foundation as an art museum with more than 800 works. The house is set on 120 acres of rolling parkland landscaped by Capability Brown. Intriguingly varied works of art are beautifully displayed in restored rooms: British folk art and portraits, textiles, Chinese pottery and bronzes, southern Italian art from 1600 to 1800, and German art from 1450 to 1600 are the main focus. Tours take place Tuesday through Sunday and bank holidays at noon. It's 10 miles east of Stratford; by car, take the B4086.

Completed in 1820, Eastnor Castle, a turreted Norman-revival mock-castle extravaganza on the eastern outskirts of Ledbury, includes magnificent neo-Gothic salons designed by 19th-century architect Augustus Pugin. The Hervey-Bathurst family has restored other grand rooms, full of tapestries, gilt-framed paintings, Regency chandeliers, old armchairs, and enormous sofas, making Eastnor a must-see for lovers of English interior decoration. In the Little Library, look out for the rare game of Life Pool, originally played on the billiards table. The grounds include a knight’s maze and an adventure playground to keep kids entertained (along with an ice cream parlor). Opening days vary throughout the season; check the website before you visit. There are also two cottages and a campsite within the deer park.

Looming dramatically over the River Wye at Kerne Bridge, from the south, the castle looks like a fortress from the Rhineland amid the green fields; you quickly see its grimmer face from the battlements on its north side. Dating from the late 12th century, the red sandstone castle is surrounded by a deep moat carved out of rock, from which its walls appear to soar upward. Built to repel Welsh raiders, it was destroyed in the 17th century during the Civil War. Today you can walk around the ruins and view the only surviving Civil War mortar, known as "Roaring Meg." The castle is 4 miles south of Ross-on-Wye.

A solidly built, early-Norman, Benedictine abbey restored in the mid-19th century, the priory dominates the steep streets downtown. The fine glass has examples from the 15th century—including a magnificent east window and the vibrantly blue Magnificat window in the north transept—to the beautifully evocative Millennium Windows, installed in 1999. Also here are a splendid set of misericords (the elaborately carved undersides of choir seats) and the oldest known carving of a merman.

Start a visit to this local history museum with a look at the Roman Stones Gallery, which displays Roman-era tombstones previously used to repair city walls (keep an eye out for the wounded barbarian). Afterward you can skip a few centuries to explore the period house for a tour that covers the1680s to the 1920s.

This historic chapel is the noble centerpiece of Stratford’s Guild buildings, including the Guildhall, the Grammar School, and the almshouses—all well known to Shakespeare. It also houses some of the finest surviving medieval wall paintings in Europe. The ancient structure was rebuilt in the late Perpendicular style in the 15th century. The paintings were covered with limewash during the Reformation on orders given to Shakespeare’s father, who was mayor at the time. Some of the most impressive paintings, rediscovered centuries later, have been restored and can be viewed, including an ornate painting known as The Doom above the chancel arch. Restoration on other paintings continues.

Located within Hereford's Town Hall, this heritage museum holds many of the city’s historic artifacts, including the first Royal Charter given to Hereford in 1189 by Richard the Lionheart, which validated its city status and assured its position as one of England's most important cities at the time. Visitors can also see items from the Mayor's Parlour, such as the sword of Owen Tudor, great-grandfather of Henry VIII, who met his grisly end in Hereford during the Wars of the Roses. Though you can visit independently, you can also visit as part of a wider guided walk through the city with the brilliant Guild of Mayors Guides ( herefordguidedwalks.org.uk), a great way to understand of Hereford's intriguing past.

In the old grammar school, this museum traces the history of the building, town, railroad, and canal, mostly through local postcards. It also has displays on two literary celebrities linked to the area, the poets John Masefield and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

It’s worth a detour 15 miles northeast of Birmingham to explore the only medieval English cathedral with three spires. The sandstone building, beautifully sited by a tree-fringed pool, dates mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries, and the Lady Chapel glows with some 16th-century stained glass from the Cistercian abbey of Herkenrode, near Liège, in Belgium. Half-timber houses surround the peaceful grounds, and the town itself has Georgian buildings as well as the birthplace (now a museum) of lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson. Highlights Tours (45 minutes) run Monday through Saturday at 11 am and 2 pm. Visitors can also pay to tour the restored historic library, accessed up 35 spiral steps, which includes many early books, including 15th-century manuscripts of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, or join a Tower Tour to go into the cathedral's vaulted roof spaces and enjoy rooftop views of the town. Frequent trains from Birmingham New Street take 45 minutes.

Push buttons and pedals to your heart's content to make the more than 70 exhibits in the wacky Mechanical Art & Design Museum come alive. Witty, beautiful, and intricate automata and examples of kinetic art will clank, whir, and rattle away. Marbles and table tennis balls bounce through looping runs, a typewriter plays tunes on glasses and bottles, and two trains chuff around high up on the walls. Kids will love constructing their own marble run, and grown-ups will marvel at the Kitchenator display. There’s also a shop full of weird and wonderful things.

A farm’s cider house (the alcoholic kind) and a cooper’s workshop have been re-created at the museum, where you can tour ancient cellars with huge oak vats and celebrate the drink for which the region is renowned. Cider brandy is made here, and the museum sells its own brand, along with other cider items.

Garden enthusiasts are drawn to Packwood’s re-created 17th-century gardens, highlighted by an ambitious topiary Tudor garden in which yew trees represent Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The house combines redbrick and half-timbering and has tall chimneys. Exquisite collections of 16th-century furniture and tapestries in the interior's 20th-century version of Tudor architecture make this one of the area’s finest historic houses open to the public. It’s 5 miles north of Henley-in-Arden and 14 miles north of Stratford-upon-Avon. In the low season, the house may be available to visit only via guided tour.

During the 19th century, Birmingham was the hub of the world pen trade with 129 factories employing nearly 8,000 people, and this museum celebrates the heritage of this lost city trade and tells the stories of past workers in poignant detail. Located within a former pen factory, the exhibits illustrate the industry's heyday through a decorative array of nibs, quills, fountain pens, inks, and all the paraphernalia of the pre-ballpoint era. You can try your hand at calligraphy, make your own nib, and listen to recollections of previous employees for insight about the working conditions of yesteryear.

For three days in mid-June, this agricultural show presents rare animal breeds, equestrian events, competitions for the best cows, pigs, and sheep, and plenty of food. Other events, such as collectors’ fairs, dog shows, and the Malvern Autumn Show, take place at the showground year-round.

A half-timber house typical of its time, the playwright's birthplace is a much-visited shrine that has been altered and restored since Shakespeare lived here. Passing through the modern visitor center, you are immersed in the world of Shakespeare through a state-of-the-art exhibition that includes evocative audio and visuals from contemporary stagings of his plays. The house is across the garden from the visitor center. Colorful wall decorations and furnishings reflect comfortable, middle-class Elizabethan domestic life. You can view his father’s workshop and also see the room where Shakespeare was born. Mark Twain and Charles Dickens were both pilgrims here, and the signatures of Thomas Carlyle and Walter Scott are scratched into the windowpanes. In the garden, actors present excerpts from his plays. A café and bookshop are on the grounds. The birthplace can get extremely busy, so avoid holiday and weekend visits.

Dating from the early 15th century, this 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 medieval wall paintings, including two of the oldest surviving Tudor roses in England, plus take part in a lesson in the room where Shakespeare was taught. Visitors can don period costumes and try writing with a pen and quill. 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. 

Founded in 1083, Shrewsbury Abbey later became a powerful Benedictine monastery. The abbey church, today a parish church, has survived many ups and downs and retains a 14th-century west window above a Norman doorway. A 1993 addition is a memorial outside the abbey to World War I poet Wilfred Owen, who was born nearby. To reach the abbey from the town center, cross the river by the English Bridge.

Guarding the northern approaches to the town, the sandstone castle rises over the River Severn. Originally Norman, it gradually fell into disrepair after the Civil War and was later rebuilt and partially redesigned by Thomas Telford, the Scottish engineer who designed many notable buildings and bridges in the early 19th century. Military history buffs will enjoy the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum within the castle, although there’s enough history about the area and its people thrown in to satisfy even the casually interested. The numerous benches in the gardens are good for a quiet sit-down, and Castle Gates House by the entrance is one of Shrewsbury's many impressive medieval buildings.

Located in Shrewsbury's old Music Hall, this museum chronicles the history of the area from prehistoric times to the present day. One gallery tells the story of Roman occupation, with fascinating finds such as a unique silver mirror from nearby Wroxeter. Another gallery focuses on the town's boom years of the 19th century, including a display on the life of Shrewsbury’s most famous son, Charles Darwin. (Make sure you look out for his statue outside the library, near the castle.) The fine art collection contains mostly painting and prints of the region.

The United Kingdom’s largest exotic butterfly collection is housed in a tropical greenhouse, a two-minute walk past the Bridgefoot bridge (spiders, caterpillars, and insects from all over the world also make their home here). Kids can watch as butterflies emerge from pupae, search for caterpillars among the plants, or take a look at a toxic black widow spider. The ant colony is another highlight. There is also a fantastic shop, plus places to picnic in the lovely garden.

Six miles south of Ross-on-Wye, outside the village of Symonds Yat (a local dialect word for "gate"), the 473-foot-high Yat Rock commands superb views of the River Wye as it winds through a narrow gorge in a great 5-mile loop. It's best approached from the south on B4432, and from there it's a short walk. A small, hand-pulled ferry takes passengers across the river from the Saracens Head pub. About a mile southwest of Symonds Yat is King Arthur’s Cave, although any link to the legendary monarch is, well, just a legend. Several important Paleolithic finds have been made in the cave, including flint tools and the bones of a woolly mammoth and a saber-toothed cat. Today, it is home to a colony of bats. To find the cave, take the exit marked Symonds Yat West from the A40. Park at the rest area just before Doward Park Campsite, and follow the path a short way into the woods.