Holy Trinity

I arrived at my SiL’s mid afternoon. Later she had to go into nearby Stratford to sort out an appointment, so I travelled in with her. Following completion of that task we had an hour for a short walk, so ambled along the Avon on a circular route, calling in at Holy Trinity church on the way.

It is reputably the most visited parish church in the country. Lots to see - a wonderful chained bible of the mid 16th century, fine misericords, and splendid gothic architecture. But what attracts the visitors is that this is the church in which William Shakespeare was baptised (the old font survives, rescued from the field where it was used as a cattle trough), married and buried. His grave sits below the high alter, alongside his wife Anne, eldest daughter Susannah and others. The reason that he and most of his family lie in such an exalted location is that when he retired from London back to Stratford, relatively well-to-do, he served as a lay rector of the church.