It’s easy to fall for the heart of Shakespeare’s merry England, says Gary Parkinson

Let’s get it out of the way: William Shakespeare came from Stratford-upon-Avon. He also went back there, and therefore so do thousands of actors (for dozens of different plays, not all Bard-penned) and millions of tourists every year. 

Stratford is something of a honey-pot, and it’s true that you might bump into one or two more hawkers, gawkers and dawdlers than would be your preference. Then again, being hospitable for a living tends to make a place friendly. Stratford is an attractive place to be, with lots of well-maintained and interesting places; it’s busy without being particularly noisy, and with plenty of history around every corner. 

It’s also well-positioned, within an hour of Birmingham and minutes from the M40 which arrows relatively unnoticed towards London – with investment and revenue expected to spread up the HS2 corridor. On the other hand, it’s within a short drive of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including the chocolate-box Cotswolds that people travel from around the world to see. 

It’s already a great place to bring up children, with a spread of well-regarded schools and plenty of tourist-oriented combinations of education and entertainment. And if you like drama, there can’t be many better places in the world to be, with more shows than you could shake a spear at. 

Starting out Considering Stratford is hardly flooded with choice for first-time buyers, the places that do come up are surprisingly affordable: there’s a top-floor one-bed flat in Brewery Street – 10 minutes from the centre and the station – for £140,000.

Great for families… Within a mile of the Ofsted-outstanding Stratford-upon-Avon Primary, the Birmingham Road offers affordable Victorian three-bed terraces: there’s a time-capsule refurb job for £190,000 if you’re quick, or more of a turn-key for £235,000. 

Just won the lottery? The childhood home of Anne Hathaway, Shottery was a village before Stratford encroached. There, £1.25m Clouder House is a six-bed architect-designed detached house with oak flooring, marble tiles, granite tops, five bathrooms, a cinema room and an annexe. 

HEAD FOR RURAL BLISS IN…

Henley-in-Arden

Nine miles north (and thus only 15 miles from Birmingham) is this 2,000-soul market town, its central Feldon Street dripping with preserved buildings going back centuries. It’s famous for its ice cream, there’s plenty of places to eat and drink, and two-beds start at around £250,000. What’s not to like?

Shipston-on-Stour

Ten miles south (and thus almost in the Cotswolds) is this riverside former sheep-market town – hence the name. A superb base for exploring said Cotswolds, it’s very pleasant in its own right with bags of history from the wool trade through the coach-horse era; now the main industry is tourism, for good reason.

Alcester

As the name suggests, the Romans founded Alcester. Nine miles west of Stratford with a population of 6,000, it has collected medieval, Tudor, Georgian, Victorian and modern buildings since Caesar’s mob cleared off; picturesque views proliferate and two-beds start at £200,000.

THE COST OF LIVING

Average rent: One-bed flats are so rare that two-beds can be cheaper, at around £750 pcm; a three- or four-bed might be double that but again rentals are rare.

Average house price: Although there’s a one-bed first-floor town-centre flat available for £125,000, one-bed flats cluster around £140,000-£150,000; again, three-beds will double that – or even treble it if in a sought-after location. 

Average rental yield: While Stratford has a lot of temporary inhabitants, the relatively high price of entry keeps typical yields down to between four and five percent. 

Average house price rise: The current average value of £412,000 is £32,000 (8.52 percent) up on a year ago.

Average salary: Stratford is too small for an officially published average, but Warwickshire averages £40,837 – way above the UK average of £30,629 and comparable with Watford and Cambridge. The 8o.8 percent employment rate is solidly above the UK average of 76.3 percent.

Average price of a pint: £3.25

Council tax: From £1,207.79 to £3,885.36.

STRATFORD AT A GLANCE

Connections: Stratford is 45 mins from Birmingham by car or train. Five miles off the M40, it’s two hours from London by car or a touch more by train (six direct services per weekday). 

Amenities: 4/5 Boutique shops plus the Maybird and Rosebird shopping centres; markets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; theatres by the dozen: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Swan Theatre, Stratford Arts House, the Bear Pit and others.

Festivals and events: Plenty including Shakespeare’s birthday (April), literary (May), poetry (Jun), river (Jul), music (Sep), food (Sep) and contemporary arts (Oct/Nov).

Open space: Stratford is hardly claustrophobic but there are green spaces at the sizeable Recreation Ground, Bancroft Gardens, Riverside Walk, Firs Gardens and Welcombe Hills. The Cotswolds AONB starts 10 miles south, the Malvern Hills AONB 30 miles west. 

Landmarks: Shakespeare’s birthplace, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Garrick Inn pub.

Schools: 3/5 Three primaries within five miles are outstanding plus King Edward VI and Stratford Girls. 

Crime: 4/5 South Warwickshire averages 65.29 crimes per thousand people, comfortably below the 89.3 average for England and Wales.  

Famous faces: William Shakespeare, evidently. Irritable chef Gordon Ramsay was brought up here; F1 designer Adrian Newey and world champion hurdler Andrew Pozzi were born here.

Originally published in the Metro newspaper, 18 Feb 2020