Stratford upon Avon is the birthplace of the 16th century playright, William Shakespeare also popularly known as "The Bard".

Again, Stratford is also a small town and can be easily seen on foot. The first monument one comes across after leaving the car park is the Gower Memorial in the Bancroft gardens. At 4 sides of the main memorial (statue) are 4 smaller statues of characters from Shakespeare's plays.

Adjoining this memorial is the Stratford Canal Basin with operational locks. One can see boats come and go out of the basin for which operation of the locks is essential. Don't miss the signboards at the locks which give distances to other cities in England.

Shakespeare's Birthplace is definately a must see because the city as such has evolved mainly around this great playright. The house still has many artifacts from Shakespeare's time and is very well maintained.

Another memorial worth mentioning is the American fountain, which was a gift to Stratord from George Childs of Philadelphia.

The HSBC and Barclays banks are situated in very nice buildings in the heart of town.