| postcards of the past |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| stratford-upon-avon warwickshire |
| Click here to see our collection of old postcards of Stratford. |
| Some random stories, reminiscences and probably utterly useless pieces of information about Stratford and the surrounding area. |
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in Warwickshire with a population (in 2008)
of about 25,000. It is located on the river Avon (a Welsh word which actually means
river) on the banks of which stands the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, formerly the
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which was designed by the English architect, Elisabeth
Scott, and completed in 1932 after the earlier destruction of the original building by a
fire in 1926. The town, in common with London and Oxford, is probably the most
popular tourist destination in England because of its connections with William
Shakespeare who was born there in 1564. A large tourist industry has developed so that
Stratford receives about three million visitors every year.
King Edward VI Grammar School (KES). Shakespeare is thought to have been
educated at KES. I was a pupil there from 1948 to 1955, and am very lucky to have
spent my formative years at such a good school with such excellent staff. I made many
friends, with some of whom I'm still in touch, and had a very happy time there, as well as
a good education. The Alms Houses are attached to the original school buildings, whilst
the Guild Chapel is also part of the school.
of about 25,000. It is located on the river Avon (a Welsh word which actually means
river) on the banks of which stands the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, formerly the
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which was designed by the English architect, Elisabeth
Scott, and completed in 1932 after the earlier destruction of the original building by a
fire in 1926. The town, in common with London and Oxford, is probably the most
popular tourist destination in England because of its connections with William
Shakespeare who was born there in 1564. A large tourist industry has developed so that
Stratford receives about three million visitors every year.
King Edward VI Grammar School (KES). Shakespeare is thought to have been
educated at KES. I was a pupil there from 1948 to 1955, and am very lucky to have
spent my formative years at such a good school with such excellent staff. I made many
friends, with some of whom I'm still in touch, and had a very happy time there, as well as
a good education. The Alms Houses are attached to the original school buildings, whilst
the Guild Chapel is also part of the school.
Bridge Street runs from the junction with High Street down the hill towards the River
Avon. It is a wide street and used to have a market in the middle. I lived at number 32
from about 1939 to 1944. My parents, Bill and Vera Gregory, ran what was then a pub
on the premises of R M Bird and Co, Wine Merchants. We lived in the flat above the
pub. The windows are still preserved in the modern building, currently occupied by BHS,
so that I can identify my childhood bedroom, which looked across to the "Red Lion" and
a tobacconist's shop (Lands ?). Click on this link - 32 Bridge Street - for a short history
of this building and of the "Mulberries" - and for a brief history of the "Golden Lion",
click on this link - Golden Lion.
"The Anchor" was on the corner of Waterside (run in those days by Jim Ayres, I believe)
and the "George" (now "Next"), run by Jack and Dorothy Eborall, at the top of Bridge
Street. Both R M Birds and the "George" had extensive cellars which went out under
Bridge Street. During the war we used to shelter in the cellars at Birds when the sirens
went - the neighbours used to come in too, and have a few drinks until the "all clear" !
Next to Bird's was Bert Phipp's, the greengrocers. During the war the "Red Horse" (now
M&S) was used to billet servicemen, mostly Canadian and then later American I think.
We also lived at the "Mulberries" for a while, before we moved into Bird's. I used to play
on the iron balcony on the first floor - still preserved - and my cousin almost dropped me
over the rail one day. My father buried loads of Bird's ginger beer bottles in the garden
during the war (don't ask me why) - later these were dug up and sold by the company
who moved into the first redevelopment, which caused him great amusement ! Some of
you may remember the "Sugar Loaf", a cafe above Lloyds Bank on the corner of Union
Street, and also the Milk Bar, between the "Red Horse" and Bert Phipp's shop.
Did you know that Washington Irving, the American author of "Rip Van Winkle", loved
Stratford and the Red Horse, and stayed there at least twice around 1820. He almost
certainly wrote most of "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" during his stay there. A
future US President, Martin van Buren, also stayed at this historic inn in 1831.
Avon. It is a wide street and used to have a market in the middle. I lived at number 32
from about 1939 to 1944. My parents, Bill and Vera Gregory, ran what was then a pub
on the premises of R M Bird and Co, Wine Merchants. We lived in the flat above the
pub. The windows are still preserved in the modern building, currently occupied by BHS,
so that I can identify my childhood bedroom, which looked across to the "Red Lion" and
a tobacconist's shop (Lands ?). Click on this link - 32 Bridge Street - for a short history
of this building and of the "Mulberries" - and for a brief history of the "Golden Lion",
click on this link - Golden Lion.
"The Anchor" was on the corner of Waterside (run in those days by Jim Ayres, I believe)
and the "George" (now "Next"), run by Jack and Dorothy Eborall, at the top of Bridge
Street. Both R M Birds and the "George" had extensive cellars which went out under
Bridge Street. During the war we used to shelter in the cellars at Birds when the sirens
went - the neighbours used to come in too, and have a few drinks until the "all clear" !
Next to Bird's was Bert Phipp's, the greengrocers. During the war the "Red Horse" (now
M&S) was used to billet servicemen, mostly Canadian and then later American I think.
We also lived at the "Mulberries" for a while, before we moved into Bird's. I used to play
on the iron balcony on the first floor - still preserved - and my cousin almost dropped me
over the rail one day. My father buried loads of Bird's ginger beer bottles in the garden
during the war (don't ask me why) - later these were dug up and sold by the company
who moved into the first redevelopment, which caused him great amusement ! Some of
you may remember the "Sugar Loaf", a cafe above Lloyds Bank on the corner of Union
Street, and also the Milk Bar, between the "Red Horse" and Bert Phipp's shop.
Did you know that Washington Irving, the American author of "Rip Van Winkle", loved
Stratford and the Red Horse, and stayed there at least twice around 1820. He almost
certainly wrote most of "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" during his stay there. A
future US President, Martin van Buren, also stayed at this historic inn in 1831.
| Page under construction - more soon. |