STRATFORD-ON-AVON, a town of Warwickshire, England; 8 miles S. W. of Warwick; on the right bank of the Avon river. The river is here crossed by a fine bridge of 14 pointed arches, now nearly 400 years old, still known as Clopton Bridge, after its builder, Sir Hugh Clopton, an alderman of Lon don, but born in the neighborhood of Stratford, who is also interest ing as the builder of the house called The New Place, which was the property of Shakespeare in his later years and the house in which he died, but was destroyed by the owner in 1759. The grounds are now open free. "Shakespeare's House," that is, the house in which he was born, having been purchased by subscription and dedicated to the public in 1847, was restored in 1859, and now contains the Shakespeare library and museum, the Stratford por trait, etc. In the cruciform parish church are his grave and portrait bust, also the font in which he was baptized. The old parish register with the entry of Shakespeare's baptism and burial, is shown near the N. door of the church. The central tower of the church dates from the 13th century. Other monu ments are the Shakespeare Memorial Theater, built in 1879 at a cost of over $200,000, intended for occasional Shake spearean celebrations, and possibly as a dramatic college, and having attached to it a Shakespeare library and museum; the Shakespeare fountain, built by an American, and the Shakespeare monu ment. Anne Hathaway's cottage, in the
neighboring hamlet of Shottery, in the parish of Stratford, was acquired in the public interest in 1892. Among other in teresting remains of Shakespeare's time or memorials of Shakespeare are the grammar school in which he was edu cated (originally endowed in 1482, re founded under Edward VI.), the adjoin ing Guildhall, in which strolling players used to perform in Shakespeare's time (both buildings restored since 1891), the town hall (rebuilt in 1768 on the site of an older structure of 1633), containing in a niche on its N. side the statue of Shakespeare presented by David Garrick. Apart from Shakespeare, the town is in teresting as containing the early home of the mother of John Harvard, founder of America's oldest university. There are several interesting places besides those in and about Stratford, among these the cottage of Mary Arden (the poet's mother), at Wilmcote. The town owes its name to the old ford of the Avon parallel to the bridge on the road from London to the N. W. Shake speare's tercentenary was celebrated here in 1916, with elaborate ceremonies. Here in August, 1914, the sword of Shakespeare's father was drawn from its scabbard in token that England was at war. The tradition runs that it must not be sheathed until victory crowns British arms. Pop. about 8,500.