Friday, 24 April 2026

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON BUTTERFLY FARM YOUTUBE VLOG NOW LIVE!

My Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm YouTube vlog is now live!


Link:-

Stratford-upon-Avon is a historic market town in Warwickshire, and is best known for being the birthplace, sometime living place and burial place of British playwright and poet, William Shakespeare.

But not all of the town's tourist attractions are about The Bard- I popped into their Butterfly Farm, and it really was a delightful experience! Opened in 1985, by naturalist and botanist David Bellamy, the Butterfly Farm comprises of several zones, but the most spectacular part is their Rainforest Flight Area. Around 2,000 free-flying butterflies inhabit the farm, as well as iguanas, poison dart frogs and a spectacled caiman (that's a kind of alligator and no, he doesn't wear glasses!)

Come and take a walk in my shoes through the steamy tropical zone, around a pond filled with koi carp next to a sparkling waterfall. As well as nectar-heavy plants you will see Maya and Mesoamerican inspired statues and artefacts and, of course, a plethora of different coloured/ patterned butterflies, including my favourite Blue Morpho. This really is a happy place!

I have also blogged about the Butterfly Farm recently, link:-https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2026/04/miss-elaineous-visits-stratford-upon.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!


TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS SHAKESPEARE'S NEW PLACE...

 
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is often considered to be the greatest playwright and poet of all time.  He remains the most famous resident of Stratford-upon-Avon, and the best way to visit the town's Shakespeare-related tourist attractions is by buying a four-way ticket, which allows you entry to:-

Shakespeare's Birthplace
Shakespeare's New Place
Shakespeare's Schoolroom
Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Tickets cost £40 for adults, £34 for concessions and £20 for children (family tickets are also available).  This might seem a lot to shell out, but when you consider that entrance to Shakespeare's Birthplace alone costs £27 at the door (£25 when pre-booked online) then it's good value for money.


Shakespeare's New Place was actually the third Bard-related tourist attraction we saw.  It's a magnificent garden that sits on the site of his house.

In a town like Stratford-upon-Avon the walk to the destination is as important as the destination itself, as there are many historical buildings for you to feast your eyes upon.  There are also interesting quirks, such as this domino sign of fashion shop Domino Style.

The Garrick Inn is reputedly the oldest pub in the town.  Whilst the exact date of construction is unknown, it is considered to be 1596, with parts dating back to the 14th century.

I loved the Hathaway Tea Rooms sign hanging from another quaint building.  It claims to be the oldest tea rooms in town, dating from 1931.

The Rose and Crown pub is early 17th-century, with early 20th-century frontage (although it's another place that claims to date from 1596- is some kind of competition going on?)  It's down Sheep Street, where many pubs and restaurants are situated.

Over the road is The Golden Bee, a Wetherspoon pub.  For many years this was a dentist's surgery.  Next to that is Tudor World Museum; the town's oldest lived-in building.  It's 16th-century, with foundations dating from 1196.

Just past Shakespeare's New Place is the Guild Chapel, which dates from at least 1269, with major repairs undertaken over time, including in the late 20th-century.  More about this chapel later...

Standing in Shakespeare's New Place overlooking Nash's House, which dates from around 1600.  Although it's now the property of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, we were not able to go inside.
Surrounding the well is the Golden Garden, containing pennants representing Shakespeare's plays (38 in all).

Can you see my reflection down the well?

 There are modern sculptures in the garden, and this represents a Tudor strong box (these were also sometimes referred to as an Armada chest).

 Standing on the site of Shakespeare's parlour.
This sculpture dates from 2016, and was commissioned to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.  It's a globe called The Terrestrial Sphere, and it represents how the Tudors viewed their country as being the epicentre of the world.

This also dates from 2016, and was created by the same silversmiths.  It's called The Silver Ship, and was inspired by Shakespeare play The Tempest.

I believe this is part of the same sculpture, with the Hornbeam Circle behind it.
Shakespeare's house would have been large; with 10 hearths and between 20 and 30 rooms.  It had a courtyard and a late-medieval hall.

The Hornbeam Circle marks the spot of the original hall, and S
hakespeare undertook alterations to his property.  He re-built the frontage and added a long gallery- used as a place to entertain and to display objects of art.

His Mind's Eye is a bronze hawthorn tree and sphere sculpture.  It also dates from 2016, and it's designed to look like an eye when viewed from above, so technically speaking I am standing on an eyeball!

Shakespeare bought New Place in 1597.
This current Knot Garden was completed in 1919-20, and consists of four beds, or "knots" based on illustrations found in gardening books of Shakespeare's time.
      

The pergola, and New Place was Shakespeare's final place of residence in Stratford-upon-Avon, and he died here in 1616.   

A pensive SuperDean sitting in the pergola.  
The house left the Shakespeare family after the death of his daughter, Elizabeth, in 1670.  Shakespeare's direct bloodline ended, as she had no surviving heirs.

The central apex of the pergola.
In 1702 New Place's owner, John Clopton, had the house demolished, building a replacement.  That too was demolished, by its owner, vicar Francis Gastrell, in 1759.

The four knots are an interweaving design of herbs and flowers, with a trellis-work separating this garden from the Great Garden.

Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust acquired New Place and Nash's House in 1876. 
I'm not sure why his initials have been flipped in this garden path centrepiece, though.

Only the foundations of New Place remain, and it stood on extensive grounds, with Shakespeare's deeds mentioning two gardens and two orchards.
Here we are walking into the Great Garden and I love the topiary hedges.  There is a leafy nook with a seat inside further along...

Staring over the lawn, and renowned horticulturalist Ellen Willmott assisted with the designing and landscaping of the garden between 1918-1922.

Incidentally, I've blogged about Warley Place Nature Reserve in Essex, and these gardens once belonged to Ellen Willmott.  Link:-
I've vlogged about Warley Place Nature Reserve, too.  Link:-

Modern bronze sculptures representing Shakespeare's plays and characters abound in this garden.
Macbeth

This old tree is being propped up, and a sign warns you not to shake its branches...

The Winter's Tale

This is an original column salvaged from the Market Hall, which was totally remodelled in 1871.  The building survives and is now the Town Hall.

King Lear

This mulberry tree is believed to be propagated from a cutting taken from a tree planted by Shakespeare...

Although we do not know whether Shakespeare was a keen gardener or not, he certainly possessed horticultural knowledge- around 175 different plants and flowers are referenced throughout his plays and poetry.
Henry IV Part I and Henry IV Part II

Flowers have meanings and are used to represent emotion; such as rosemary for remembrance, pansies for thoughts and nostalgia and roses for love, passion and romance.
Julius Caesar

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hamlet

The Tempest

The Greenwood Tree is inspired by As You Like It, and is another 2016 commission.

We finished our visit then popped over the lane and into Guild Chapel.  Parts
 of its 13th-century structure have survived.

Beautiful stained glass...

The aisle and the organ.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Shakespeare's New Place, and if I lived or worked locally then I'd buy a yearly pass and frequently pop in there and eat my lunch on one of the benches!

TTFN,

Miss Elaineous

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Thursday, 23 April 2026

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS TUDOR WORLD, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON...

Tudor World Museum is in Stratford-upon-Avon; the home town of the greatest British playwright and poet of all time, William Shakespeare.  But in a town that's "all things Bard," much as I'm a Shakespeare enthusiast (I've seen several plays at Shakespeare's Globe, in London) it was nice to visit an attraction that wasn't all about him!

Coincidentally today- the very day I'm writing this blog, April 23rd- is both Shakespeare's birthday and death day.

Tudor World is part-museum and part-interactive, is run by husband and wife team Janet and John Ford and staffed by resting actors and enthusiasts.  The museum claims to put as much "punch" into its exhibits as possible. 

The building it is housed in is to the right of The Golden Bee (a Wetherspoon pub) in this photograph.  It's in Sheep Street, which nowadays houses the town's main drag of restaurants and bars.

The sign outside invites you to "Experience the Past."

The building the museum is housed in is known as Shrieve's House, or The Shrieve's House.  It is the oldest lived-in house in the town.

Dragon statues beckon you in (actually, these look more like they're there to scare you away!)  The building dates from the 16th century, with foundations from 1196.

A wise owl, and this place is full of interesting little quirks, so you have to pay attention to all that's around you.

 We have lions standing sentinel around the doorway, and the house survived the town fires of both 1595 and 1614.

This building is named after John Shrieve; its first known tenant.  He was an archer to King Henry VIII (r.1509-1546), and here he is, pointing to the entrance route.

There is lots of written information in the museum (I quite like that- I'm never a big fan of hand-held listening devices, such as those provided in some of the larger museums).  Here we can learn how Shrieve's House has developed over time. 

At one point the building was owned by tavern keeper William Rogers.  He is thought to have inspired Shakespeare's comic character Falstaff, resulting in the house being nicknamed "Falstaff's House!"

We were offered a riddle to solve.  I kind of guessed that it would be Shakespeare-related, and took me less than a minute to solve it.  It's "To be or not to be."

 The Tudor dining room...

An imposing cabinet, and the smaller cabinet within the cabinet is a Spice Cabinet (this concept reminded me of Russian dolls!) 
 I love the metal "crown" chandelier.

The Tudor bed, which you could sit on if you liked (I didn't, as I just wanted to take a piccie...)

Details of Tudor sleeping habits, including that beds tended to be short as the occupants slept sitting up.

Details about Shakespeare, and quotes from his plays.  Yes, this attraction wasn't all about him, but he certainly featured.  The museum holds Shakespeare tours of the town.

You can dress up in Tudor clothing and take selfies.  There was actually some clothing in the pile that I'd wear out- after it had been altered under my sewing machine, of course.😁  
The colour of this dress is fabulous.

A rather scruffy Vain Old Tart, in Queen Elizabeth I's crown...

In the next room is a throne, with Henry VIII to the left and his daughter, Elizabeth I, to the right.  You can sit on the throne, and the crown slung around her neck is the one I tried for size- it fitted nicely!

Elizabeth I's body and ailments...

Henry VIII's body and ailments- he was not a healthy man in the later years of his life...

The Tudor dynasty.  I have to say, the museum was a tad shabby in parts, but I suppose you have to remember that the building is very old...

Staring down the stairs, with the Tudor rose hanging down.  
I did hear one of the guys at the desk mention that the museum is haunted, and that he himself had witnessed some paranormal activity.  The museum also hold regular ghost tours of the town.

This mock-up depicts life on board a ship...

Nautical knots...

More info, including about the Armada, and a gunpowder barrel in the corner...

I liked that you can sniff what life was like during those times.  To me, the ship smelt like old wood and possibly a tad metallic...

This board, entitled Square Meals, offered up the details of a sailor's diet...

This is a historic Tudor ship's nail.  This genuine artefact added a nice touch.

Dr John Dee was a mathematician, astronomer and alchemist who experimented with the occult...

He was a courtier of Elizabeth I, and his appearance inspired many future writers to give wizards a long beard!

I've read before that Queen Elizabeth I was very interested in necromancing...

He's shown here with astrological charts, a crystal ball, and other tools of his trade...

Would living here and owning a black cat, a cauldron and a broomstick make you a witch?

This board tells you about the ducking stool, which was a punishment by trial metered out to witches.  Witches tended to be executed by hanging, though.

Here you can leaf through The Book of Witches to see if your family name appears in the list of those accused- mine didn't.

But I took the Witch Trial Score Sheet- and scored 95/100.  As anything over 51 makes you a witch, then it's the ducking stool for me!!!! 

You can try your hand at writing with a quill, the way Shakespeare did.  I had a go and it was legible- if a tad messy!

The stable, and that horse has a really freaky expression!

The Tudor Street, and you can sniff what the market smelt like- it smelt (as you might expect!) of animals' bums!

Another selfie opportunity, if you fancy hanging around in the stocks declaring that you're a drunkard...

...And here's the tavern to get drunk in.
I did sniff what the tavern might have smelt like- to me it smelt woody and old just like the ship.  It certainly didn't smell of beer!

Rules of the tavern...

Tudor medicine, and the average age of death in those times was only 35.  But you have to take into account that many people did not survive childhood, and living to your 50s or 60s, or even older, was not uncommon.  But much depended on your social class. 

Various Tudor medicinal "cures..."

Mother Shipton's cottage, and she was an English soothsayer and prophetess.  She's often been described as a witch.

The plague doctor, and his long mask is filled with aromatic herbs to counteract the miasma- or "bad air-" which was thought to cause the plague.

Despair in the plague house...

If you were unlucky enough to get the the plague, you would need to be confined...

If you sit in here you can get an idea of how this old building is constructed...

...Whilst reading about the plaque doctor.
The terminology "quack" originated from the beak-shaped mask the plague doctor wore. 

Plague information, and even though some of the subject matter in the museum was unpleasant, as I'm gruesome and gothic I rather liked that😁.  I certainly enjoyed my time here.

The plague house, and my only moan about this museum is that I didn't get to witness any ghostly activity!  This building is considered to be highly haunted (it is 500 years old, after all.) 


Death is still the subject as you return downstairs.
A bit of Googly research reveals that sightings of a "grey lady" (really, hasn't every haunted building got one of them?) and a "spectral dog" have been reported.
But I saw no such thing.  Bah!


Crime and punishment, and what happened to you really did depend on your station in life- in other words what class you belonged to.

I'm not sure if this is a man or a woman, but either way they are chained to the wall...

This chap in the cage has certainly seen better days!

History panels, and I'd certainly return- I loved the interactive nature of the museum...

Passport control, then out we go.  The museum is not large, so can be completed in an hour or less.

One final look down the cobbled alleyway.

We then walked down to the River Avon, and there's the Tramway Bridge in the distance...

The swans were certainly friendly on this day...

And happy to pose...

The swans and this pigeon took no notice of us whatsoever!

We crossed the river using their manually operated pedestrian chain ferry, which is named Malvolio, who's one of Shakespeare's characters in comedy Twelfth Night.

Downstream, with the Holy Trinity Church in view.  Shakespeare is buried there.

Standing on the bank taking a photo of the ferry, which costs £1 each way...

The ferry was opened in 1937, and was the last of its kind to be built in Britain. 

More winged friends.  Here, a couple of geese have come to join the party...

This swan doesn't want to know, and is having a sleep...

But this stubborn swan has claimed his space and will not be moved- and good for him!

I'll end this video with this sign I saw in an art shop- methinks it would look good in my flat!
💓

I would certainly give Tudor World another go, and I recommend getting involved with their interactive sections and reading everything for the best experience.

I will return,
 
Until then,

TTFN

Miss Elaineous

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