Although we don’t know the exact date, William Shakespeare was born on or around 23rd April 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon. At the time, Stratford was in the grip of an outbreak of plague and he was lucky to survive.
On 22nd April 1616, a group of friends gathered to celebrate Shakespeare’s 52nd birthday but it was to be his last: ‘Shakespeare and friends had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted’.
Every year, on or around the 23rd April, the anniversary of William Shakespeare is celebrated in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of his death and on 30th April, St Andrew’s bell ringers chose Stratford-Upon-Avon as a venue for their spring outing. We rang the bells of Holy Trinity Church and also took the opportunity to visit Shakespeare’s grave inside the church.
These photographs show some of the ringers outside Holy Trinity Church and on the banks of the River Avon:
L-R: Eileen Drew, Lionel Woods, Rosemarie Edwards, John Stephenson, Jane Harper,John Thornhill and Terry Thornhill.
L-R: Rose Kaziro, John Stephenson and Angela Achampong
Hornchurch, Essex
St Andrew
Sunday, 24 April 2016 (18–0–0 in E♭)2016 Grandsire Caters
Backstroke start – Composed by Brian E Whiting1. Lionel S Woods
2. John W Stephenson
3. Christopher C M Pain
4. Jillian Laken
5. James Laken
6. Leonie J McCaughren
7. Nicholas M Allen
8. Paul J Bloomfield
9. Clive J Stephenson (C)
10. Paul TruemanDate touch for Evensong and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.