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

The most picturesque of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust properties, this thatched cottage on the western outskirts of Stratford is the family home of the woman Shakespeare married in 1582. The "cottage," actually a substantial Tudor farmhouse with latticed windows, is astonishingly beautiful. Inside, it is surprisingly cozy and has lots of period furniture, including the love seat on which Shakespeare reputedly conducted his courtship and a rare carved Elizabethan bed. The cottage garden is planted in lush Edwardian style with herbs and flowers. Wildflowers are grown in the adjacent orchard (a nod to what was grown in the garden in the Hathaways’ time), and the neighboring arboretum has trees, shrubs, and roses mentioned in Shakespeare's works.

The best way to get here is on foot, especially in late spring when the apple trees are in blossom. The signed path runs from Evesham Place (an extension of Grove Road) opposite Chestnut Walk. Pick up a leaflet with a map from the tourist office; the walk takes 25–30 minutes.

Built in 1785 by George Steuart (architect of St. Chad's Church in Shrewsbury) for the first Lord Berwick, this elegant stone mansion has a three-story portico, with a pediment carried on four tall columns. The building overlooks a sweep of parkland worth exploring, part of which is home to around 300 deer. Inside the house are painted ceilings and delicate plasterwork, a fine picture gallery designed by John Nash (1752–1835), and 19th-century Neapolitan furniture. Many events take place here, and the café and shop are excellent. The mansion is 5 miles east of the center of Shrewsbury.

The eminent architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described this as “the perfect late medieval manor house,” and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. The Tudor mansion, with its elegant Queen Anne brick bridge reaching over the moat, is like something out of a period drama. Set off a winding back-road, this grand manor dating from the 15th century retains its great fireplaces, 17th-century paneling, and three priest holes (secret chambers for Roman Catholic priests, who were hidden by sympathizers when Catholicism was banned in the 16th and 17th centuries). Admission to the house is by timed ticket, and a decent restaurant and gift shop are on-site. Upstairs rooms may be closed out of season. Baddesley Clinton is 2 miles east of Packwood House and 15 miles north of Stratford-upon-Avon.

The composer Sir Edward Elgar was born in the village of Lower Broadheath, 8 miles north of Great Malvern, in this tiny brick cottage. Set in a peaceful garden, the museum contains personal memorabilia, including photographs, musical scores, and letters. Be sure to take a seat next to the statue of the musician as he admires the Malvern Hills that so inspired him. The good café makes a perfect pit stop.

Just outside the village of Much Marcle, 4 miles southwest of Ledbury, lies the beautiful 17th-century manor of Hellens, which is kept like a time capsule in virtually unspoiled condition. The gloom and dust are part of the experience of visiting: at times candles illuminate the interior, and there’s no central heating. Part of the house dates from the 13th century and contains a remarkable collection of fine Old Master paintings. Take a walk in the gardens and, if you have time, check out the 13th-century village church. Entry is by a guided tour from one of the wardens who live on-site; tours take place in season at 1, 2, and 3 pm on Wednesdays, Sundays, and bank holiday Mondays, though there's no need to book to explore the grounds. The manor has a charming tearoom and an excellent events program.

This is the spot where Shakespeare lived for the last 19 years of his life and where he wrote many of his plays, including The Tempest. Though the actual 15th-century building he inhabited was torn down in the 18th century, the site was imaginatively reinterpreted in 2016 as an outdoor space where the footprint of the original house can be traced. Each of his 38 plays is represented by a pennant in the Golden Garden, and his sonnets are engraved into the stone paving. Highlights include a mulberry tree that some believe was given to Shakespeare by King James I and a restored Elizabethan knot garden. An exhibition inside the neighboring Nash’s House tells the story of the New Place and Shakespeare’s family life within it, and the house's roof terrace provides views of the gardens. Nash’s House was once home to Thomas Nash, the husband of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall.

This 13th-century fortified manor house built by a wealthy merchant is among the finest of its kind in England. Inside the main hall, the wooden cruck roof and timber staircase (a rare survival) demonstrate state-of-the-art building methods of the day. Outside, the cottage-style garden creates a bewitching backdrop for the magnificent Jacobean timber-frame gatehouse, and you can climb the fairy-tale tower or take a moat walk. There's a charming tearoom, too. The castle is 7 miles northwest of Ludlow.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.