Shakespeare’s Grave is situated inside his former parish church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. You’ll find his tomb marked by a gravestone in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church alongside other members of his family. There is also an extra memorial to Shakespeare with a bust which is a feature on the wall. His grave is outlined with a blue rope (see above) and his wife Anne is next to him.
Like many British churches, it’s free to enter, but there is a suggested donation if you want to visit the altar section where Shakespeare’s grave is actually located. It’s definitely worth paying the suggested fee and we found a very helpful guide was standing nearby to answer any questions we had about Shakespeare’s connection to the church. He explained that Shakespeare secured this prime burial location by offering large donations to the church and by becoming a ‘lay rector’.
Apart from the grave, it’s worth spending a bit of time looking at the stained glass windows and the impressive organ pipes in the church. You will also find on display copies of the register entries for Shakespeare’s burial and also his baptism and the original font where he was baptised is also on display too.
This church has been used for worship since the early 1200’s and if you want to experience a service, then you can. On Sunday’s there are services at 10.30am and 6pm and Morning Prayer takes place Tuesday to Friday at 9.15am. When leaving the church, head down Old Town road towards Hall’s Croft and you will find a lovely memorial garden on your left hand side which is free to enter.
LOCATION & CONTACT
Address: Shakespeare’s Grave, Holy Trinity Church, Old Town, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire
Tel: +44 (0)1789 290 128
Email: friends@shakespeareschurch.org
MORE ON SHAKESPEARE’S GRAVE
Holy Trinity Church – Official website of Shakespeare’s Church
Stratford Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour – Stops at Holy Trinity Church
The Arden Hotel – The recommended hotel by the RSC, near to Shakespeare’s Grave
Hotels in Stratford-upon-Avon – We recommend Hotels.com for the best prices
Stratford Upon Avon Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk
Shakespeare Country Travel Guide – From our sister site, Free-City-Guides.com