At the quiet end of Old Town, where the river bends and a lime avenue leads down to the porch, stands the church that bookends Shakespeare's life. He was baptised here on 26 April 1564 and buried here on 25 April 1616, and both entries survive in the parish register on display inside. It is a working parish church, not a museum, and it is the only place in Stratford where the crowd goes quiet.
His grave is in the chancel, in front of the altar, marked by a slab bearing the famous warning against moving his bones. Beside him lie his wife Anne, his daughter Susanna, her husband John Hall and his son-in-law Thomas Nash, and on the wall above is the funerary monument carved within a few years of his death — the closest thing we have to a portrait taken from life.
Top things to do at Holy Trinity Church
See the grave and the curse
The chancel slab reads 'Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare, to digg the dvst encloased heare' — a threat that has kept his bones in place for four centuries. A small chancel donation is requested.
Look at the funerary monument
The painted bust on the north wall was installed before 1623 and approved by people who knew him. Whatever you make of the face, it is the earliest surviving likeness.
Find the register entries
The baptism and burial records — the two hardest facts we have about Shakespeare’s life — are displayed in the church.
Walk the avenue and the riverbank
The lime avenue to the porch and the riverside path back into town past the theatre make one of the loveliest short walks in England.
How to get to Holy Trinity Church
- Old Town, at the south end of the centre — a 10-minute riverside walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
- Three minutes on foot from Hall's Croft; both are usually visited together.
- The chain ferry across the Avon and the hop-on hop-off bus both stop within a few minutes' walk.
Insider tips
- The church is free to enter; there is a small charge for the chancel where the grave is, which goes towards the building.
- Opening hours are shorter in winter and services take priority — check before making a special trip.
- Early morning is best: the light through the east window falls directly onto the chancel.
- Walk back along the river rather than the road; it takes the same time and passes the theatre and Bancroft Gardens.
