Hall's Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon is closed to the general public due to major, ongoing, multi-phase conservation work and significant structural damage caused by a car reversing into the 17th-century building in October 2025. The site is undergoing essential restoration of its timber frame and, while closed to visitors, now operates as a dedicated learning space for educational groups.
Did a driver reverse into Shakespeare's family home halls croft causing substantial damage?
On 17 October, a driver accidentally reversed into the 400-year-old Hall's Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon, shattering several oak beams and leaving a hole in the wall of the building, though causing no injuries.
Gastrell applied for local permission to extend the garden. His application was rejected and his tax was increased, so Gastrell retaliated by demolishing the house in 1759. This greatly outraged the inhabitants and Gastrell was eventually forced to leave town.
After William Shakespeare's death in 1616, the ownership of the two properties passed to his daughter, Susanna Hall, and after 1649, it went to her daughter, Elizabeth Barnard.
Save on your visit to Shakespeare's Birthplace when booked online. Enjoy multiple visits throughout the year - your tickets are valid for 12 months. We have a timed entry system at Shakespeare's Birthplace, to ensure the best experience for all our visitors. Please arrive within your designated time slot.
The church doesn't charge admission like some do, so you are free to walk around and explore, but if you want to enter the area where Shakespeare's grave is, there is a charge.
Shakespeare has no direct living descendants, but there are still descendants of his sister Joan and her husband William Hart. His childhood home on Henley Street in Stratford remains in the care of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
As Anne was 60 years old when Shakespeare died, it was the eldest daughter Susanna, who inherited most of the buildings, land and money. Shakespeare was a clever businessman and also owned property in London. Amongst other things, his other daughter, Judith was given a large amount of money and a silver bowl.
Shakespeare is the commercial property arm of Prime Value – founded by Yak Yong Quek in 1998 – which manages a $1bn portfolio comprising Australian equities, cash-like instruments, retail, office and hotel properties, and agricultural assets.
Scientists Detect Traces of Cannabis on Pipes Found in William Shakespeare's Garden. Some centuries-old pipes found in the garden of William Shakespeare still contain traces of cannabis, according to South African scientists who examined the relics with forensic technology.
This multiplicity makes “King Lear” different from Shakespeare's other tragedies, like “Macbeth” and “Othello,” whose plots focus on two to four central characters. Moreover, “King Lear” is one of Shakespeare's bleakest plays (though we can't forget the brutality of “Titus Andronicus”).
Shakespeare's epitaph threatens a curse upon anyone who disturbs his grave. It reads, “Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebeare/ To digg the dust enclosed heare/ Bleste be the man that spares thes stones, / And curst be he that moves my bones.” Photograph by Dean Conger, National Geographic.
The accident occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday 30 May 1972 on the John Collins Big Dipper roller coaster at the funfair in Battersea Park, London, which had opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain. A train being hoisted up to the start of the ride broke loose from its haulage rope.
Susanna Shakespeare (later Hall) lived a full life, marrying physician Dr. John Hall, managing significant property including Shakespeare's New Place, outliving her husband, and becoming a respected figure in Stratford-upon-Avon before dying at 66 in 1649 and being buried next to her famous father at Holy Trinity Church. She managed Shakespeare's estate, faced down a scandal, and left no direct descendants, but her life as a prominent woman of her time offers insights into Shakespeare's legacy.
How is Meghan Markle related to William Shakespeare?
According to ancestry website MyHeritage, she is the sixth cousin five times removed of Churchill and is the fifth cousin 13 times removed of Shakespeare.
There are no known direct, legitimate descendants of Henry VIII alive today because his three legitimate children (Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I) died without heirs, ending that royal line. However, descendants exist through his illegitimate children, especially Henry FitzRoy, and many people share distant Tudor ancestry through Henry VIII's siblings or cousins, including the current British Royal Family via Henry's sister, Margaret Tudor (grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots).
Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536 and supposedly buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London. But when restorations were done in the 19th century, bones believed to be Anne's were found… except the measurements didn't line up.
Yes, Henry VIII's coffin was opened, though not fully, in 1813 when workmen accidentally breached the vault, finding his lead coffin damaged and his body reduced to bones and hair, with some damage potentially from internal pressure or being jostled when Charles I's coffin was added later, and a small piece of bone was taken as a souvenir but later returned. The vault was officially documented again in 1888, confirming the remains were a skeleton.
While it's impossible to provide a definitive answer to this question, there are a number of reasons for thinking that Constantine and Helena were correct in their assessment that the site of the present-day Church of the Holy Sepulchre is indeed the location of Christ's burial and Resurrection.
