The tower view
A lift-served platform 32 metres up, looking over the town, the river and Holy Trinity spire, free of charge.
Rodw — CC BY-SA 3.0 · David Dixon — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK — CC BY 2.0
One of the best views of Stratford is not from the riverbank but above it: 32 metres up, at the top of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's tower, the little town spreads out beneath you, its tiled roofs, the bend of the Avon and the spire of Holy Trinity where Shakespeare is buried. The surprise is that the lift up is free, every day from midday to 4pm, closed only on matinee days or when the weather turns. You need no theatre ticket at all; the whole building is free to enter. The building is a story in itself. The old Memorial Theatre burned in 1926, and this Art Deco block by Elisabeth Scott, the first major British building designed by a woman, opened in its place in 1932. A £112m-plus transformation between 2007 and 2010 then rebuilt the auditorium as a thrust stage wrapped on three sides by 1,040 seats and added the tower; Elizabeth II reopened it in March 2011. The shell of the burnt theatre still stands alongside and houses the smaller Swan Theatre. For a family that does not follow English easily, let us be plain: every performance is in Shakespeare's English, summer tickets sell out weeks ahead, and three hours of sixteenth-century verse is a pleasure not every household will share. Treat the place as an architectural landmark instead. Wander the foyers, the free displays and artworks and the exhibition on a century of theatre-making, sit on the riverside terrace watching the boats and swans, ride up the tower, and if you want more, book the hour-long guided Theatre Tour, which gets you into at least one auditorium and sometimes behind the scenes. It runs daily, sells out in holiday weeks and is ticketed — the published group rate is £12.50 a head for ten or more — while the full Backstage Tour costs more and involves a lot of stairs. It works well with children and pushchairs: lifts reach the tower, the foyers and the third-floor Rooftop Restaurant, and there are plenty of public toilets, no small thing in a crowded little town. It is about fifteen minutes on foot from Stratford station, with public car parks close by along the river. On Sundays and other days without a performance the building shuts at 4pm, so do the tower first while there is still light.
A lift-served platform 32 metres up, looking over the town, the river and Holy Trinity spire, free of charge.
The first major British building designed by a woman, Elisabeth Scott, reworked inside between 2007 and 2010.
Seats on the Avon bank facing the boats and swans, with a cafe and public toilets inside.
Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6BB
Bancroft Gardens & Gower MemorialShakespeare does not stand on a plinth here; he sits, at ease, on a tall pedesta3 minutes walk4.5
Shakespeare's New PlaceThere is no house. Know that before you walk down Chapel Street: the home Shakes3 minutes walk4.4
Guild ChapelIn the Stratford corporation accounts for 1563-64 there is a small entry paying 3 minutes walk4.8
Stratford Butterfly FarmFive minutes from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, you cross the footbridge over t3 minutes walk4.6
Shakespeare's Schoolroom & GuildhallThis building does not admit visitors before eleven in the morning on any day of4 minutes walk4.8Usually not. The text is Elizabethan English that even many native speakers find hard, a show runs close to three hours, and summer tickets go early. Stick to the tower, the terrace and the short guided tour, which give you the spirit of the place in an hour or two.
No. Individuals and small families walk straight in, free, between midday and 4pm. Advance booking applies only to groups of ten or more, with a £1 per head fee to reserve the tower for the group.