Historic Warwickshire Hotels: Alveston Manor, Stratford

Cradle of The Fairy Queen?

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.

More often than not, those buildings one already assumes to be old from their appearance turn out to have even deeper historical origins. And Alveston Manor is no exception.

The first building on the site - an �Anchorite cell� - is believed to have been built around 960 A.D, with a small monastery being established shortly after. And by 1086 there is de facto evidence of its existence in the Domesday Book.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Alveston was given to the Dean and Canons of Worcester by Henry VIII, but the property subsequently changed hands on numerous occasions over the following centuries.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, Alveston Hall is a structure which has evolved over time - part Elizabethan (as its appearance suggests) and the remainder a blend of 17th and 18th century work. But if its looks are romantic, then its connection with William Shakespeare is even more so.

Many believe that the grounds of the hotel are, in fact, the site of the first performance of A Midsummer Night�s Dream. In fact, the original stage directions relate very closely indeed to the layout of the garden before it was altered at the beginning of the 20th century. Whether the Bard himself was in attendance we will never know, but standing on the Cedar Lawn one can�t help but feel part of literary history.

Avoid the new... The following may not necessarily be linked to famous figures or events, but all offer accommodation in historic surroundings. Click on the links for further tariff and availability information.

Beechwood, The. KERESLEY. Originally a farmhouse, this 13th century property offers 21 guest rooms. LateRooms

Best Western Weston Hall Hotel. BULKINGTON. Impressive Elizabethan manor house in a rural location outside Coventry. Expedia.co.uk

Best Western Salford Hall. ABBOTS SALFORD. Eight miles from Stratford, Salford Hall is a beautiful manor house built shortly before the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms

Billesley Manor. Nr STRATFORD. A truly stunning Elizabethan country house a few miles outside the city. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms | GTA Hotels

Charlecote Pheasant, The. CHARLECOTE. Legend has it that William Shakespeare was caught poaching in the deer park opposite what was once a farmhouse. Expedia.co.uk | GTA Hotels

Coombe Abbey Hotel. Nr COVENTRY. Founded as a Cistercian abbey in 1150, the present day building still features stone cloisters from the early 1500�s. Expedia.co.uk | Hotelshop

Ingon Manor Hotel. SNITTERFIELD. A 14th century country house surrounded by its own 18-hole golf course. Expedia.co.uk

Legacy Falcon, The. STRATFORD. A landmark in the town of Shakespeare�s birth, the Legacy Falcon appears today much as it would when the Bard himself would have known it. Beautiful. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms | Legacy Hotels

Lord Leycester Hotel. WARWICK. The heart of the hotel is an Elizabethan building known as the Jury Street House, built during the late 16th century. Expedia.co.uk

MacDonald Swan�s Nest Hotel. STRATFORD. Located a short walk from Shakespeare�s birthplace, The Swan�s Nest is a seventeenth centiry building constructed from red brick. Expedia.co.uk | MacDonald Hotels | GTA Hotels

Manor Hotel at Meriden, The. MERIDEN. An early Georgian country house from 1745, conveniently situated for travellers visiting Birmingham, Coventry or Warwick. Expedia.co.uk

Mercure Shakespeare Hotel. STRATFORD. Town centre hotel dating back to the sixteenth century and providing four star accommodation. Expedia.co.uk | LateRooms | GTA Hotels

Walton Hall. WELLESBOURNE. Former stately home dating back to the 16th century. Expedia.co.uk