I studied some of his most famous poems in my schooling, so I was amazed to see myself at Stratford-upon-Avon in the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I visited on the 25th July 2004. Set in the beautiful rural Warwickshire countryside, on the banks of the river Avon, it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK. A lot of tourists want to visit the homes of this famous Dramatist and Poet.

Purchasing the tickets to visit all the 5 houses, I first visited Shakespeare’s birthplace. The house originally belonged to his father, John, who became a successful Stratford businessman. John & Mary Shakespeare moved from nearby Snitterfield to Stratford in 1529 and William Shakespeare was born in 1564.

The Shakespeare Birthday Committee with the moral and financial support of the public obtained the Henley Street House in 1847. An extensive project of restoration then took place to restore the house to its former glory. The house is approached via the visitor’s centre, which holds a comprehensive exhibition about Shakespeare’s life. Most of the houses retain much of their original character.

The house was bought for the nation in 1847 after an appeal to raise money for such a purpose. When it was a public house, Shakespeare’s birthplace was converted back to Elizabethan style. Objects associated with Shakespeare’s father, John, a glovemaker and wool merchant, are on display.

There is a birth room, in which Shakespeare was supposedly born, and another room has a window etched with visitors’ autographs including that of Sir Walton Scott.

As a result of the house/museum, Stratford has become a literary shrine to Britain’s greatest dramatist. It also has a thriving cultural reputation as the provincial home of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, whose dramas are usually performed in Stratford before playing a second season in London.

The Shakespeare Houses are the major tourist attraction in Stratford and there are a total of five houses altogether, including Shakespeare’s birthplace. The pass only costs £13 and is valid for 1 year. It’s much better to buy the "ALL FIVE SHAKESPEARE HOUSES" pass because some of the houses' passes cost £5+.

Inside Shakespeare’s birthplace, there’s a family tree of John Shakespeare (William’s father), a portrait of William Shakespeare, his will and the clothing that people wore during that time. There’s a tour guide who will brief visitors on the history of William Shakespeare and his house. What’s amazing is the furniture that is displayed in the house - the bed and table and chairs are the actual furniture that Shakespeare used. I think it’s super-cool. It’s quite disappointing that photography is not allowed in the house. I didn’t get to take any of my pictures in it, but I managed to take lots of pictures in the lovely garden.

For more details, logon to www.shakespeare.org.uk

The Birthplace is accessed through the rather nasty looking brick building adjacent, which houses the visitor's centre and an exhibition on Billy's life and times. Exhibits include a 16th century school desk from where Billy is studied, a first edition of Billy's collected works and a detailed scale model of the original Globe Theatre in London. The exhibition is interesting, though a little disjointed, as it attempts to present the few facts that are known of Billy's life and weave them into a larger picture of Elizabethan life, but it does do a fine job of setting-the-scene for what is to come.

The Birthplace was built around 1568 for John Shakespeare, Billy's father, a prosperous glove-maker and wool-merchant, and his wife Mary. Billy was born here in 1564 and continued to live here for many years, joined by his wife Anne following their marriage in 1582, before he moved to London to find his fame and fortune. Billy inherited the Birthplace following his father's death in 1601 and the property passed down the family line, through his sister Joan Hart, until the early 19th century. The Birthplace was acquired by the trust at auction in 1847 and underwent painstaking refurbishment to replicate how it would have looked during Billy's time.

The entrance leads past a small display introducing you to the building, before opening up into the Birthplace itself. The first room on the ground floor is the parlour, which contains the guest bed, was where the family would have gathered during the day. A doorway leads through to the hall with its large set dinning table and gothic style benches where the family would have dinned, and the Workshop with dressed animal skins and glove-making tools on display where John would have carried out his business and sold to the public.

Upstairs are the bedrooms, the first contains an exhibition on the history of the house and displays the original bathroom window where many 18th century visitors including Sir Walter Scott and Thomas Carlyle scratched their names. The next room is furnished with a half-headed bed and replica painted cloths while the final room, where according to legend Billy was born, displays a cradle, toys and other replica items from Elizabethan childhood. The rear-wing was added around 1601 when this part of the house was used as an inn and upstairs has a small display of archaeological upstairs and a replica kitchen and buttery downstairs that in Billy's time would have been in a separate outhouse. Outside is a picturesque Victorian country garden, planted with many of the flowers mentioned in Billy's works.

The Birthplace provides a fascinating insight into Elizabethan life and is a delight for and fan of Billy's and his work and is still well worth a visit even if you are not.