Anne Hathaway's Cottage Audio Guide
Explore Anne Hathaway's Cottage with Stanza's GPS-triggered offline audio guide.
About the Tour
This historic thatched farmhouse was the childhood home of Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare. It is now a well-preserved house museum showcasing 16th-century rural life.
What you will hear
Arrival at Hewlands Farm
Establishes the first grand view of the cottage and introduces its original name and agricultural history.
The Twelve-Room Farmhouse
Explore the impressive scale of this evolving farmhouse, which grew from a simple three-room dwelling into a massive twelve-room family home over 161 years.
The Tudor Threshold
A closer look at the domestic details and the leaded windows typical of the Elizabethan era.
The Stone Foundation
Notice the solid stone blocks forming the foundation of this Grade I listed building, managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust since 1892.
The Contemporary Sculpture Trail
Introduces the modern artistic additions to the grounds, blending history with contemporary interpretation.
The Woven Willow Sculpture
This moon-shaped willow sculpture is part of a modern trail that blends traditional rural crafts with contemporary artistic interpretations of the landscape.
The Working Lands and Orchard
Reminds visitors that this was once Hewlands Farm, a substantial 90-acre agricultural holding.
The Heritage Orchard
Discover the heritage orchard that provided the Hathaway family with fruit for cooking and cider-making, an essential part of their self-sufficient farm life.
The Art of Preservation
Concludes the tour by discussing the maintenance of the thatched roof and the restoration following the 1969 fire.
Leaded Windows and Thatch
Look closely at the luxury leaded glass windows and the meticulously maintained thatched roof, both signs of the Hathaway family's local standing.
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