The Pavement Art of Stratford upon Avon

The Pavement Art of Stratford upon Avon

Have you come across the street art in Stratford on Avon? It is an absolutely fabulous piece of art work and worthy of exploring. When I first spotted parts of it several years ago I was intrigued as to what it was, other than random phrases, some not in English, words, sounds and occasional footprints, carved (actually ,it was sandblasted) into the pavement around the area of Henley Street, Shakespeare's birthplace and trust.

Ignoring the usual tourist stuff in that area I set off to discover more and soon realised that these were all events witnessed by the artist and recorded into the stone at the spot they occurred. What a brilliant idea. As the artwork meanders through this part of town, you can image what may have been taking place at the time that the artist was watching, a type of voyeur's record.

The observer catches the frivolous, the amusing and the unremarkable but when you trace it you get the feeling that you are witnessing it yourself; the stray comment next to a cash point, the command to “stay there”, the trail of bird’s footprints wandering arbitrary along among the pedestrians, the possible rebuke to a child; you can never know for sure what was taking place at that moment but it certainly inspires the imagination and I am keen to discover more when I am next in Stratford.

When you are in Stratford next and in the Henley Street area of the town, spare a moment to look down at the pavement between the café chairs and the tourist’s feet and you may find yourself looking in on something that happened at a particular time at the very spot years before – on Saturday 18th March to be precise.

'Saturday 18th March' by Janet Hodgson
  For more information: http://www.insitearts.com/projects/stratforduponavon/

Castle Hill, Kenilworth

 Castle Hill, Kenilworth

Coming into Kenilworth from Balsall Common, you can glimpse a charming piece of historic Warwickshire as you pass the castle as on the left. Directly opposite the castle, is Castle Hill, curving around and up to High Street above the Abbey Fields.

On one side of the road, leading up from the castle, is a row of quaint bow fronted cottages dating back to the 17^th century, which includes the Clarendon Arms pub, Harrington’s bistro restaurant, Time for Tea tea room and a fashion shop – all worth a visit.

 Just set back from the other side of the road is a group of quaint timber-framed thatched cottages, which were originally built for the builders and stone masons who worked on the castle. This is the restored hamlet of Little Virginia and is purported to be where the first potatoes were planted in England by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Taking a gentle stroll, you can see some interesting detail and enjoy well-kept architecture of the area; ending with a panoramic view over the Abbey Fields. Taking the steep path down into the fields and turning right around the edge of the lake will eventually bring you back to the castle via the ford.

Castle Hill is equally charming in the evenings when the businesses and cottages are illuminated to great effect and the sounds of people enjoying themselves filters outside.

Those visiting the castle will find that crossing the road can be tricky as there are no crossing places but there are wide footpaths once you have crossed over. You can glimpse the cottages and shops of Castle Hill and Castle Green from the Great Keep, when looking out over the Elizabethan Gardens.  For those travelling through the area, there is limited parking along Castle Hill and in the Abbey Fields car park further along and the area is not far from the town centre if you are up for a moderate walk.