By Mrs Yeomans (Head of English)

On Wednesday 19th June, Year 8 spent the day in Stratford soaking up the atmosphere of such a historic and important place in terms of literary history. The day was divided into three activities to give the students the perfect mixture of cultural experiences-plus fun!

The Stratford Walking Tour Guides were extremely knowledgeable about the significant buildings of the town.  Students saw the building (and were able to identify the very room) where Shakespeare was born, and heard details about Shakespeare’s family, including the fortunes of his children and grandchildren who sadly left no heir to Shakespeare’s family name. We saw other landmarks in the town – the bank, for example, that features scenes from Shakespeare plays in its stonework (and notably from The Merchant of Venice), and Harvard House, owned by the Harvard family who travelled to Massachusetts and set up the Library and University of that name some years later.

A key highlight was the visit to Stratford Butterfly Farm – the largest butterfly farm in the UK. Here we saw a stunning variety of butterflies and other creatures from various tropical habitats, the butterflies being bred in the farm or bought from conservation projects or village projects that support conservation. Some students were bold enough to hold scorpion stick insects!

Finally, students sat in the very room where Shakespeare studied between the ages of 7 and 14, learning, among other things, Latin and rhetoric. Shakespeare’s father was elected Bailiff in 1568 and attended meetings downstairs in the same building (used as a Guild Hall) for many years. Our guide showed us timber beams made from trees from the Forest of Arden, and a very rare mediaeval wall painting in a side room possibly used as a priest’s private space.  Our students were able to practise their skills with a quill, translating Latin; some made incredibly stern school masters!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and one which I am sure will foster a love of Shakespeare for years to come!