Shakespeare's New Place Stratford Upon Avon

House where Shakespeare retired to and died.

Nash House Stratford Next To New Place
Nash House Stratford

New Place Official Web Site


New Place was Shakespeare's home from 1597 until his death in 1616. It was here after finishing working that Shakespeare retired to. After Shakespeare's death New House survived until 1759 when it was demolished.

However the foundations of New Place and its grounds can be seen today, including a beautiful Elizabethan-style knotty garden created eighty years ago.


Next door to New Place is Nash House that still survives.

New Place / Nash House History

Nash's House was owned by Shakespeare's granddaughter's first husband Thomas Nash, a wealthy Stratford property owner. Adjacent to Nash's house is the site of New Place, the house that Shakespeare purchased in 1597 and where he later died.


Sadly the house was pulled down or at least substantially rebuilt in 1702 and the new house erected in its place demolished in 1759. However, some foundations of the original building can still be seen, and the view of Guild Chapel opposite is essentially unchanged since Shakespeare looked in that direction from his garden.

New Place / Nash House What You Will See

Very few tours come to New Place.

The Nash House building you visit has furnishings giving a good indication to how New Place, described in 1540 as a pretty house of brick and timber, would have been furnished. An impressive town house, it is furnished with original 16th and 17th century pieces of furniture, local tapestries and paintings..


Where Shakespeare's original house stood next door is a picturesque garden space. The stunning Elizabethan Knot garden, created in 1919-1920 is based on illustrations from garden books of Shakespeare's time, and as far as possible contains plants that would have been familiar to Shakespeare. To the rear is the Great Garden, a public garden space containing an ancient Mulberry Tree said to have been a cutting from the tree Shakespeare planted.

The Great Garden also features a series of sculptures inspired by Shakespeare's plays, and plays host to a variety of outdoor plays during the summer months.

New Place / Nash House Times, Prices & Location

New Place is in the centre of the town of Stratford, just a couple of minutes from the main shops. The Stratford Upon Avon Hop on Hop Off Bus (see bottom of page) stops outside .


New Place is open daily except Christmas and Boxing Day. You can purchase tickets individually or if you are viewing more than one Shakespeare property there are money saving tickets covering multiple properties.

Opening times are seasonal, so for current opening hours and prices click through on the link at the top of the page to the official web site. If you are Visiting Stratford independently, you can buy a combination ticket that combines the Stratford Hop On Hop Off sightseeing bus that shuttles around all the Shakespeare properties with admission tickets to the properties themselves from the bus.

Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon Properties & Attractions

There are five houses in or near Stratford-upon-Avon connected with William Shakespeare and his family. There is also Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) that perform plays.


The Shakespearean properties offer a unique experience of the Stratford world in which the famous dramatist and poet was born, lived and died.

Open all year round, these sixteenth-century houses feature rare period furnishings and domestic items. Aspects of Tudor life, are on display, all set in attractive gardens and grounds.


You can buy a single ticket giving access to all properties.

The Stratford Upon Avon hop on hop off bus connects them all and offers combo tickets combining the bus service with admission to either 3 or 5 of the Shakespeare properties.


The five properties are:

Shakespeare's Birthplace - Where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and grew up. Exhibition centre.

New Place / Nash's House - Shakespeare's home from 1597 until his death in 1616.

Hall's Croft - Where Shakespeare's eldest daughter (Susanna) lived.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage - Before marrying William Shakespeare in 1582, Anne Hathaway lived here.

Mary Arden's House - The house that Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, grew up in.

Stratford Upon Avon Hop on Hop Off Bus

Stratford Upon Avon Hop on Hop Off Bus

Like so many towns and cities with a lot of visitors, a hop on, hop off open top sightseeing bus operates in Stratford.


At Stratford its particularly useful as a couple of Shakespeare attractions, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's House are well outside walking distance from the town centre.


The bus has ticketing options which includes admissions to the Shakespeare properties. The main starting point of the buses is by the bridge next to the main Tourist Information Centre. For independent visitors there is also a stop very close to the train station.


Frequencies are broadly every 30 minutes with increased frequencies, every 15/20 minutes at the peak times in summer and weekends. During the summer months live guides are available, at other times audio guides are provided (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and Kid's Commentary)


There are 12 stops including all 5 Shakespeare properties, Holy Trinity Church and the RSC theatres.

You can also purchase a ticket that combines the Ho Ho service with a river cruise on the River Avon.