A NEW audio tour will help Stratford visitors learn all about the life of William Shakespeare at their leisure.
Vidi Guides, in partnership with Shakespeare’s England, has created a ‘Self-Guided Podcast Tour’ to take visitors around key places of the playwright’s life. The tour lasts 45 minutes and covers a 1.4km distance.
Shakespeare’s England chief executive Helen Peters said: “Shakespeare is obviously one of the key reasons why tourists come to Stratford, so having this self-guided tour available allows visitors to learn even more about him.
“While there are wonderful guided tours still available, it’s brilliant we now have a new option for people who simply want to come to Stratford and listen to a guide whenever they like.
“The tour is fantastic – it covers Shakespeare’s life right from his birth, all the way until his death, and everything in between. And people who have never been to Stratford before will see lots of landmarks steeped in history and significance.”
The tour starts from his childhood home in Henley Street, before moving to the house of Judith Quiney – Shakespeare’s daughter – where it is explained how the Bard’s real life helped inspire some of his classic tragedies.
From there, listeners head to the Garrick pub and Harvard House, and then onto New Place and Nash’s House.
Listeners can learn about conspiracy theories surrounding the playwright’s work when they reach his old school, and will hear about the various threads connected to Shakespeare and his family at Hall’s Croft.
At his grave in Holy Trinity Church, the podcast explains how the Bard is connected to the church and details the mysteries surrounding the grave site.
After a stop at the Dirty Duck club, the tour finally ends at The Swan and RSC, where Shakespeare’s legacy carries on to this day.
Stratford District Council’s tourism spokesman Coun Matt Jennings added: “Shakespeare is a cultural icon – and we want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to learn about the great man while they are here in Stratford.
“We’re delighted that Shakespeare’s England and Vidi Guides have produced this superb self-guided podcast tour that visitors can listen to at a convenient time.
“I’m confident even the most knowledgeable of Shakespeare fans will learn a thing or two from the tour, and I’d encourage anyone with an interest in his life and work to download it.”
The podcast can be downloaded for £7 at shakespeares-england.co.uk/vidi-guides.
