Towns & Villages of Shakespeare Country
Shakespeare Country offers everything you need for a relaxing short break or a longer holiday. Visit historic Warwick and Kenilworth with their magnificent castles, enjoy regency Royal Leamington Spa and step back in time in Stratford-upon-Avon, home of William Shakespeare.
Delve a little deeper into Shakespeare Country and you will discover some delightful smaller towns and villages.
Visit Stoneleigh, an idyllic village with redbrick cottages. Try Southam, with its restored Holy Well. It is a small historic coaching and market town with a chequered history. Similarly, the two market towns of Alcester and Henley-in-Arden retain much of their historic charm. Follow Alcester's Heritage Trail and discover historic buildings, a wonderful selection of exciting pubs and tearooms, plus a wide choice of traditional, independent shops. Don't miss Roman Alcester, a museum which traces the town's links to the Romans and their continuing influence.
The mediaeval street town of Henley-in-Arden originated as a clearing in the Forest of Arden and has a rich variety of architecture - red brick, black and white half-timber and plaster sit side by side and blend to give the town its unique character. Visit the Heritage Centre and be sure to buy an ice cream!
Shipston-on-Stour saw some of the busiest sheep markets in the country and, today, its elegant Georgian buildings, traditional coaching inns, 15th century parish church, shops and tearooms give the town its distinctive character. Shipston has a good selection of independently run restaurants and shops which include specialists in clocks, contemporary art and traditional toys.
Why not visit some of the towns and villages of North Warwickshire where Mary Ann Evans wrote under the pseudonym of George Eliot. She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era and wrote what many people believe is the greatest novel in the English Language, Middlemarch.
Farmers Markets
As Shakespeare Country is a very rural area you would expect food and farming to play a very important part in the local economy and it does. There are regular Farmers Markets in the main towns around our area on a monthly basis:
- Stratford - 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month
- Kenilworth - 2nd Sunday of every month
- Leamington - 4th Saturday of every month
- Warwick - 3rd Friday of every month
