Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon is where the young playwright grew up and his father worked as a glove maker. Nearby, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, a charming 16th-century home, is where Shakespeare courted his future wife.
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William Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon is having its own red carpet moment. The BAFTA and Oscar-nominated film ‘Hamnet’ is sending tourists flocking to the bard’s historic haunts, from his childhood home to the dreamy Anne Hathaway’s cottage, like never before.
Visitors are now queuing up to peek inside the glove maker’s workshop where young Shakespeare once lived and to wander the gardens where he wooed his future wife.
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These spots usually welcome about 250,000 curious visitors a year. But since ‘Hamnet’ hit screens in January, the numbers have shot up by 15 to 20 percent.
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The buzz all started with Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel ‘Hamnet’, which fictionalises the romance between Shakespeare and Agnes Hathaway, while also delving into the heartbreak of their son Hamnet’s untimely death in 1596.
The film adaptation brings that story vividly to life starring Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as a young Shakespeare.
“Visitor numbers have increased across all sites since the film’s release,” confirms Richard Patterson to the media. He is the chief operating officer of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which manages the heritage locations. “I think that will only continue as we go throughout the year.”
Tourists are particularly drawn to Anne Hathaway’s cottage, eager to explore the intimate family spaces and countryside that likely inspired the world’s greatest playwright. Some visitors even admit to imagining the young Shakespeare scribbling love notes among the flowers.
It’s not just the story that’s making waves. The film’s awards momentum is equally impressive. ‘Hamnet’ has bagged 11 BAFTA nominations including Best Film, and eight Oscar nods, with Jessie Buckley tipped as a strong contender for Best Actress.
Set in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, the film portrays Shakespeare falling for Agnes while grappling with the tragedy of Hamnet’s death, a grief that ultimately sparks the creation of ‘Hamlet’.
Experts believe Shakespeare is notoriously enigmatic. He writes about humanity, about feeling, about emotion, about conflict, but where do we understand who he is in that story?
Some believe the movie does more than entertain. It gives audiences a chance to feel Shakespeare’s emotional world.
Of course, historical records offer little detail on Shakespeare and Hathaway’s courtship. He was 18 when they married in 1582; she was 26. They had three children: Susanna, twins Judith and Hamnet. But the film explores their bond in rich, emotional detail, playing on the interplay of the names Hamnet and Hamlet to illuminate the roots of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy.
In that case, history critics hope this emotional storytelling will inspire visitors to engage with Shakespeare differently.
For fans of literature, cinema, or just a romantic story set in lush English gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon is now the place to be. The ‘Hamnet’ effect has turned Shakespeare’s hometown into a hotspot for curiosity, heartbreak, and inspiration.
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