Shakespeare's Country

[Music] Oxford, a city set in the very heart of England with a history going back over a thousand years. A city of dreaming spars that have seen so much English history made. [Music] [Music] The famous university was founded in the 12th century and ever since scholars and travelers have thronged to Oxford. Visitors are charmed by its beautiful and splendid architecture. In the high street, one of the loveliest streets in Europe, they may stay perhaps in the Miter Hotel whose doors have been open to travelers for 600 years. [Music] But the colleges like Mlin founded in 1458 are Oxford's glory. Many think Mlin the loveliest of all, though it's hard to make a decision among so many beautiful buildings. [Music] And Oxford is an ideal starting point for the journey through some of the loveliest country in the whole of England. A journey to bring the picture postcard to life. Within easy reach is Shakespeare's country. And that means so much more than simply a visit to Straford upon Haven. [Music] But Stratford upon a is the heart of Shakespeare's country. And here in the fine modern memorial theater on the banks of the river A, Shakespeare's plays are presented for 8 months of every year. Close by his theater, so different from the old Globe where he saw his plays performed, sits the immortal bar. [Music] In a magnificent setting stands Stratford's Holy Trinity Church where William Shakespeare was christened and buried. The country round Strapford upon Haven is glorious. In the high street are some of the finest half-timbered houses in England which harmonize so perfectly with the surrounding Warikshire landscapes. [Music] Typical of them is the house in Henley Street where Shakespeare was born which dates back to the early 16th century. Still furnished in the original style, it is now a museum open for you to see. [Music] So much of Stratford looks as it did in the poet's day. Even the old shops recall the past. And the hotels of Stratford were once old coaching in. The Falcon dates back to the 16th century. And so does another of Stratford's many hotels, the White Swan. [Music] [Applause] Stretford also has an interesting link with the United States in Harvard House built in 1596 by Alderman Thomas Rogers. His daughter married Robert Harvard and their son John founded the famous American university. The house was bought and presented to Harvard University in 199. Mary Arden's house where Shakespeare lived and a pleasant way of sightseeing is to hire a punt and gently pole your way along the a barely a mile from Stratford is the Vil Shot and along this very footpath which you can still follow through the meadows Shakespeare walked to pay court to Anne Hatheraway who became his wife. She lived in this picturesque thatched farmhouse that is known to the world now as Anne Hatheraway's cottage. It looks today very much as it did over 300 years ago. Descendants of the Hatheraway family owned it until as recently as the end of the last century. And inside there is still much of the original Haway furniture. [Music] There's a peaceful charm about the little towns and villages and a friendliness among the people, too. What could be pleasanter than a fishing holiday staying at an old inn like this? [Music] Or you can visit the delightful riverside village of Welfford with its picturesque houses where the days pass at a gentle tempo and the people busy themselves in their gardens. And these are indeed the typical gardens of England. [Music] What glorious country you can drive through when you start to explore further a field in Shakespeare's country. To the southwest in the Cotsworlds lies the charming Georgian town of Chelnham with its broad streets lined with fully grown chestnut and lime trees and its beautifully laidout gardens. [Music] In Chelenham is one of England's great public schools, Chelenham College. Founded over a century ago, [Music] eastwards now through the lovely Cotswwell country. [Music] Halfway between Cheltonham and Oxford is Berford, whose dignified high street shows that this delightful old town was once an important center of commerce. These Cotswwell towns and villages almost seem to melt into the country around them. Their houses built with the mellow honeycoled local stone in the finest tradition of English craftsmanship. [Music] Here in Berford, life is a gracious, pleasant affair. And what more welcome contrast could a busy town dweller find than a stroll down one of Burford's lanes with, instead of the den of traffic, the gentle hum of bees over garden borders. [Music] Berford was once a great center of the wool trade in the days when the spinning and weaving of wool was England's greatest industry. Those days have long passed and Berford's fame is a great commercial center with them. But fine wool and cloth is still woven in Berford and lovely materials are made on hand looms like these. [Music] Berford was once an important communication center too. And in the days of the stage coaches, it boasted many fine coaching ins like this one. [Music] There are so many contrasts in Shakespeare's country. Lamington Spa seems almost modern compared with the mellow Cotswwell towns. It dates from Regency times when the fine people from London came to Lamington to stroll in the gardens and take the waters in these royal bars. In the first year of Queen Victoria's reign, the town was called Royal Lemington Spa by royal license. It seems hard to believe that less than 30 years before this, Lamington had been an unimportant village of 500 inhabitants. [Music] Today you can follow the example of those Regency visitors and like them go to Lamington Spa to take the waters and to walk in the beautiful Riverside Gardens. This ancient windmill is a landmark on the road from Lamington to Warik. Plants grow on its crumbling walls, but its sails will still obey the wind. On to Warick, a town steeped in English history whose origins go back to Roman Britain. Dominating the town is magnificent Warick Castle standing in a commanding position above the river Aen. [Music] Nearby are the ruins of Kennallorth Castle where once the Earl of Leicester entertained Queen Elizabeth I with rare shows and sports. But Warick Castle is still the home of the Earl of Warik. While Kennelorth's glory has departed and only a splendid ruin remains. How charming the old thatched houses are as the road leads back into the Cotswwells in Chipping Camden. A lovely name for a lovely town with its high streets sweeping in a graceful curve to the old wool market hall. Seldom used as a market now, it's a favorite stopping place for visitors who are likely to stop too at one of Chipping Camden's picturesque ins. Stow on the world is set in a country of rolling hills and meadows. At one end of its open marketplace stand the old stocks, originally prescribed as a punishment for unruly artisans. Petty offenders sat with their legs imprisoned for a stretch of several hours. [Music] Another beautiful Cotswwell town is Morton in the Marsh and the same is true of Borton on the water where graceful bridges span the sparkling stream that wanders through the village. Here in this tranquil English village, there's no bustle, no hurry. You can spend your time agreeably idly watching a trout rise or the ves going about their daily tasks. [Music] A great attraction of Borton on the water is its model village which is a delight for both young and old. Exquisitely built to scale, it's a perfect replica in miniature of an English village. [Music] And what fun for children to roam through these enchanting streets, stopping to peer into a church, playing the pot of little gulivas in a tiny liipot as they tower above the houses and bend down to look into shop windows. [Music] From a model village to a real one, one of the most famed in England, Broadway with its spacious, sweeping high street. At one end is the Ligan Arms Hotel, an unforgettable English hostel. Unforgettable is the whole atmosphere of old English charm of Broadway. [Music] Yes, these picture PS all brought to life. The travelers are back where they started at Oxford. A record of their journey goes home to their relatives and friends. For them, they're a collection of enticing postcards. For the travelers, a memory never to be forgotten of their journey through Shakespeare's country. [Music]