The profitability of Stratford-upon-Avon’s tourism industry hinges on the claim that the place where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 is open to tourists. New York Times reporter Elizabeth Winkler takes a fun journey through the doors of the Bard’s supposed birthplace in a small West Midlands town, where she questions the authenticity of its historical significance. Thinking about it. “Stratford is allowing, and indeed encouraging, one of Britain’s greatest frauds to run wild,” a Daily Mail reporter wrote in 1965. And indeed, the question of whether this tourist attraction, key to Stratford’s $315 million tourism industry, is legitimate has prompted such energetic responses for centuries. First, there are almost no official records of Shakespeare’s life, and even his exact date of birth is vague, although Shakespeare Day is celebrated every April.
The story goes that in the late 18th century, someone hung a sign in a butcher’s shop on Henry Street that read “The Immortal Shakespeare Was Born in This House” (the common spelling of his name at the time). This declaration had some credibility. Shakespeare’s father was fined for keeping a pile of dung in Henry Street (possibly as a tenant), but did not purchase property there until 11 years after Shakespeare was born. What now stands there is a charming detached Tudor, decorated with items of questionable relevance at the time (namely quill and ink, although his parents were probably illiterate); It’s a museum filled with Shakespeare memorabilia.
The sign’s claims stuck, and the building was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1847, outbidding the likes of PT Burnham to manage it. Winkler writes that in order to sustain its 4 million visitors, the town is filled with “souvenir shops and half-timbered buildings that ooze Elizabethan kitsch,” which is strange. There are many Harry Potter themed shops. While the question of where Shakespeare was born may never be answered, “stories are often more seductive than the truth,” Winkler concluded. Read her full story here. (A text written by Shakespeare’s sister was found in the house.)
