Discover new features this summer in Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Garden
Visitors to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Garden near Stratford-upon-Avon can experience a number of new and exciting garden features this summer. The most romantic Shakespeare house with its charming cottage gardens will boast a new Willmott Garden, Sweet Pea Trail, a series of Garden Walks and Talks, Butterfly garden & trail, a Whimsical willow sculpture walk, Greenwood Singing tree and a Music trail. A visit to the award-winning attraction is ‘so much more than just the Cottage’.
The Willmott Garden is a new area based on the influence of Ellen Willmott who designed and replanted the gardens at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and New Place in the 19th century. Ellen was a key player in the inter-war development of English gardens and many plants were named after her. The area has been set aside to show visitors the influence Ellen had on how the garden looks today. The garden, which measures around 3m x 10m, will be back planted by Laurel plants and include a number of plants named after Ellen including Syringa vulgaris 'Miss Ellen Willmott', Potentilla nepalensis 'Miss Willmott', Ceratostigma willmottianum and Corylopsis willmottiae. Planting of the garden will be completed by the end of May.
Visitors can admire hundreds of Sweet Pea blooms, both old and new varieties at the Sweet Pea Trail which takes place from the end of June until late August. The display, which features 39 different varieties of Sweet Peas, is already planted and will flank the main pathways from the entrance to the cottage. All of the plants have been grown from seed by the gardeners at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust using traditional methods and hazel sticks. Visitors can also purchase seeds from the shop and grow their own varieties at home.
There will also be a series of Gardening Walks and Talks including practical demonstrations from 2 July – 22 August every Tuesday and Thursday from 2pm - 3pm. Six topic areas, conducted by experts from the gardening team, will include ‘Garden Walk and Talk’, ‘Sweet Peas’, ‘Sowing and growing vegetables’, ‘Attracting garden wildlife’, ‘Plant naming’ and ‘Simple plant propagation’. The Walks and Talks are free of charge but normal admission to the site applies.
A new Butterfly Garden and Trail is in the early stages of being created and in the long term it is hoped visitors will be able to see an extensive range of British butterflies in their natural habitat. Some 500 plants that attract butterflies are being planted including Agrimony, Viper’s Bugloss, Lesser Knapweed, Kidney Vetch, Ladys Smock, Lady’s Bedstraw, Teasel, Wild Primrose, Small Scabious, Bladder Campion, Purple Loosestrife, Fleabane and Meadow Clary. Butterfly-themed activities are also being organised for families. The Trust is also encouraging children to sow nasturums in late summer as these self-seed and are used by butterflies to lay the eggs upon.
A new Utility area is also being created and which will be turned and surrounded by a yew maze from early June. The Woodland walk with new soundtrack and performance spaces has been extensively cleared over the winter months. 10,000 Snowdrops and Bluebells were planted last autumn and are now just finishing to flower. Visitors can wander around the traditional orchards featuring heritage apple trees. The Trust continually works to improve the orchards, planting new trees and making them more how they would have been in Anne’s time.
Visitors can also enjoy the Whimsical willow sculpture walk featuring two new and remarkable willow sculptures created by award-winning sculpture artist Tom Hare. Tom uses innovative sculptural techniques and works in a medium which is environmentally sustainable. One sculpture features a giant crescent moon which doubles as a seat. The second sculpture is a giant musical stave with musical notes and butterflies woven onto it and leads the way to a special border planted with flowers to attract butterflies. The sculptures have had a dramatic impact on the garden while at the same time unifying nature and art.
The new Greenwood Singing tree and Music trail is a living art installation combining nature and technology and appeals to visitors of all ages. It has been created collaboratively with visitors so that it features a range of voices quoting lines from Shakespeare. Touch the tree to make it sing and take an enchanting musical tour through the woodland walk, listening to a soundtrack specially composed by folk legend Peter Knight of Steeleye Span and Gigspanner fame. Both of these musical installations have been made possible thanks to funding from the Happy Museum Project.
Nick Jackson, Gardens Manager at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said “We have so many exciting garden features for visitors to enjoy at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage this summer. When the Sweet Peas are in full bloom, the gardens look stunning and are a riot of colour and scent. Our butterfly garden will be a very special haven in which butterflies can live and visitors can enjoy. Good news for dog owners is that you can now walk dogs on leads in the garden as well!”
Visitors can be sure of an excellent visitor experience with extremely knowledgeable and experienced guides to enhance their visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Please find below some of the recent comments from visitors.
“We were extremely impressed with the information given to us at Anne Hathaway's Cottage. The guide was very interesting and clear in his knowledge of history”. “The guide was very knowledgeable and made our visit most enjoyable. We have thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the guides in particular have brought it to life for us”. “Very knowledgeable lady at start of tour - very enjoyable”. “The many flowers and dedications to beauty here have made me feel as if I were transported back into one of Shakespeare's plays - a fantastical world”. “The graciousness and obvious depth of knowledge demonstrated by your guides is what truly sets this exhibit apart from the rest”. “The visits get better each time, there’s more to do each time we come”.
Passes to all five Shakespeare Houses and Gardens are great value and best of all are valid for a full year - with unlimited entry. So for the price of one pass, you can enjoy days out at the Shakespeare Houses and Gardens all year round – for free! Passes costs £22.50 for adults, £13.50 for children, £20.50 for concessions and £58 for a family (includes up to 4 children). A pass also now includes a visit to Shakespeare's grave at Holy Trinity Church. Visit the website at shakespeare.org.uk for more information.
