STRATFORD: A WALK THROUGH THE TOWN. 67 and her cottage. Passing through green lanes, where the peasant lives undangered and at ease, the pedestrian will return to Stratford by Alcester road, proceeding through Greenhill and Meer Street, and arriving at the spot, which, but that a general view of the town was taken before examining particular places, should have been visited first. SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTH-PLACE. It is a very old house in very good condition, stands alone, and cannot be mistaken, not because the country has been lately flooded with admirable photographs of it, but that its antiquity and style of building claim for it in unmistakable terms the honour it possesses. Some fifty years ago it was purchased by a far-sighted though very humble man for £140, and some ten years ago was "knocked down"-the Fates forbid!-I mean sold, by George Robins to the "nation" for £3,820! Since then it has undergone general repairs and a thorough cleaning-the whole renovation being carried out in proper spirit, and with a view to preserve its original appearance as much as possible. The houses formerly adjoining on both sides have been pulled down to preserve it from fire. The solidity of the structure is, fortunately, sufficiently guaranteed by the massive beams of oak that gird it and strengthen it in all directions. No fire is allowed on the premises; damp and consequent dilapidation are kept away by steam pipes. The kitchen floor is of stone, the fire-place being ample, and with the large cosy corners reserved for the head of the family and distinguished guests to sit and smoke and drink in. 66 If," says a late writer, "the fire is out now, our feelings, sparkling back upon the past, must re-kindle it. That Shakespeare himself has stood here before the cheerful blaze no one can doubt. Perhaps as a boy he may have sat in the corner feasting his galloping imagination from a spark in the ashes. His father, at any rate, lived and died here, and he must have often walked in when in Stratford to see the old man." The chief apartment is the room in which Shakespeare was born, approached by a flight of ten solid oaken stairs, which having been ascended, the most thoughtless or the boldest may "hold his breath for a time." The walls are whitewashed, but there is "not an inch of nameless plaster." The window contains sixty small square panes, every bit covered with autographsindeed, that of the great Walter Scott, who resembled Shakespeare in more than the initials of his name, has been scribbled over by the impudent diamond of some snobbish nobody. No more signatures are permitted to be written, for many reasons, one of which may be mentioned-there is no room. Many interesting autographs are effaced or cannot be traced from amongst others of less importance. But amongst those still to be discovered, in addition to Walter Scott, above-mentioned, are Alfred Tennyson and Sam. Rogers to the immediate right of the entrance. On the same side of the room, lower down, may be seen Chas. Dickens, Mark Lemon, Augustus Egg; and W. M. Thackeray is on the ceiling. Amongst actors, whose autographs are principally to be observed about the fire-place, are Edmund Kean, Helen Faucit, Madame Vestris, Chas. Kean, J. B. Buckstone, Mrs. Fitzwilliam, Robert Elliston (whose much respected son died in Leamington a few days ago), Albert Smith, Gustavus V. Brooke, Chas. Mathews, &c. Behind this interesting room is another curious old apartment crossed by heavy oaken beams. Old portraits of Shakespeare decorate the walls. The principal of these is a life-size bust in oil. It is kept in an iron safe, which is thrown open during the day and closed at night. This portrait was in the family of W. O. Hunt, Esq., for upwards of a century. On the frame of the safe a brass plate bears the following inscription :-- "This portrait of Shakespeare, after having been in the possession of Mr. William Oakes Hunt, Town Clerk of Stratford-upon-Avon, and his family, for upwards of a century, was restored to its original condition by Mr. Simon Collins, of London, and being considered a portrait of much interest and value, was given by Mr. Hunt to the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, to be placed and preserved in Shakespeare's house.-April 23, 1860." |