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Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Relive Shakespeare’s love story

AHC Willow Sculpture

A photo opportunity in the beautiful grounds

AHC Cottage Garden

Our traditional cottage garden will delight your senses

AHC Interior

Upstairs in the Cottage

AHC Garden Door

Spotted in the gardens

AHC Family Activities

Activities for the whole family

AHC Orchard Sculpture

Explore our sculpture trail

Visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the beautiful 500 year old cottage where Shakespeare courted his bride-to-be. See original furniture including the Hathaway bed and uncover five centuries of stories in this picturesque cottage and 13 generations of the family who lived there. Continue reading...

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was originally a farmhouse.  It was built in 1463 of cruck construction, when the building would have comprised of just three rooms. The kitchen and parlour still remain from the original medieval construction. The first Hathaway to live in the cottage was Anne’s grandfather John Hathaway, who was a tenant sheep farmer. Anne, later Shakespeare’s wife was born in the cottage in 1556.

When the site was a farm it was known as ‘Hewlands’ and the Hathaway family were very successful sheep farmers.  The garden would have been a farmyard with some livestock and likely a herb garden.

After the death of Anne’s father in 1581, Anne’s brother Bartholomew inherited the tenancy of the 90-acre farm and later bought it freehold. He went on to make various improvements to the cottage including an extension.  The first floor was inserted and the chimneys added at the same time. This work was completed before the death of Bartholomew in 1624.

By the late 1800s the family’s fortunes were on the wane, some property including land and houses were mortgaged and eventually sold.  In 1838 the cottage itself was sold and the remaining Hathaway family continued to live in the cottage as tenants. 

One of the last Hathaways to live in the cottage was Mary Baker. When the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust purchased the cottage in 1892 from the then landlord, Mary and her family were paid the large wage of £75 per year. Their duties were to share family stories and to care for the cottage, both of which we continue to do today. Her son William Baker still occupied part of the cottage until he left in 1911.  

Highlights

Events

14 Oct 2017

Art at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

A practical workshop lead by artist Sophie Clausen

  • Workshop
  • Booking required
  • Anne Hathaway's Cottage
21 Oct 2017 - 29 Oct 2017

October Half Term

Enjoy a whole week of family fun with hands on activities!

  • Family
  • No booking required
  • Various
See all events

Visitor information

  • Gift shop
  • Coffee shop
  • Access
  • Dogs

Visit time: 2 hours

Linger over nine acres of this romantic setting

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Getting here

Nearby attractions

10 minutes drive to Shakespeare’s Birthplace

7 minutes drive to Mary Arden’s Farm

22 Cottage Lane
Shottery
Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire,
CV37 9HH
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Open today: 9am - 5pm

The Cottage grounds

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Walk the Anne Hatha-way

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Shakespeare's Birthplace
This is where the story began
Shakespeare's New Place
Walk in Shakespeare's footsteps
Hall's Croft
The home of Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna
Mary Arden's Farm
Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a working Tudor farm