Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Gardens – 1965

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Gardens – 1965

Old picture of the Gardens at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage – 1965

One of the sights to see in Strafford-Upon-Avon is the misnamed “Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.” The twelve room farmhouse was originally built before the 15th Century and was the childhood home to William Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. Known as Newlands Farm in those days it was part of a ninety acre farm. The cottage had multiple additions over the centuries and was owned by the family until 1846. The property was acquired by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1892 who removed later additions to bring it back to it’s 15th Century looks.

Outside of this beautiful “cottage” we can see the Gardens in this picture. It’s not clear to me how original these gardens are, but between this picture and modern ones, it looks to be extremely beautiful. Sadly, just four years after this picture was taken, the Anne Hathaway’s Cottage suffered a serve fire. Luckily it’s since been restored by the Trust and is open to the public again.