Stratford-upon-Avon

A village until 1196, when the lord of the manor John of Coutances set out plans to make a town of it and Richard I granted a charter for a weekly market, which is what turned it into a trading place. It stands on the Avon at the southernmost point of Arden, where the Cotswolds begin. William Shakespeare was born here and is buried here, and that single fact now brings about 2.7 million visitors a year. The Royal Shakespeare Company is resident at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in the town.