Half Term at the Shakespeare Houses - February 2009

Take part in activites for the whole family this half term at the Shakespeare Houses. See below for details.

Traditional Tudor 'handfasting' ceremony: Are you celebrating an engagement at this time? Do you have a wedding anniversary coming up? Or do you just want to show your Valentine how much you love them?

Similar to an engagement party, the Tudors celebrated the betrothal of two people with a handfasting ceremony. At Anne Hathaway's Cottage this year come and witness this ceremony, using words from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', or even take part yourself.

If you would like to take part in a handfasting ceremony please email anne.hathaway@shakespeare.org.uk, stating the names of the participants, the date and approximate time of your arrival and the event you are celebrating, if applicable.

Visitors' sonnets: try your hand at writing a sonnet between now and the end of half term, submit it to us at anne.hathaway@shakespeare.org.uk and your sonnet may appear on this website! Please click on the following link to read some of the sonnets by our our visitors.

Request a sonnet: Do something romantic for your Valentine and request a sonnet to be read for them at Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Please email anne.hathaway@shakespeare.org.uk, stating your name, the name of the person for whom you are requesting the sonnet, the sonnet number/first line of the sonnet and the date of your visit. Please also tell us if you are celebrating a special event.

Sonnet must be chosen from a selection of ten on our Shakespeare's Sonnets page.

Things to see and do for all the family: request a sonnet for your loved one at Anne Hathaway's Cottage from costumed readers or perhaps even Shakespeare himself!

Head out to Mary Arden's Farm and make nosegays, find out about herb use and the garden in time for spring, and plant your own bean and watch it grow throughout the year. Or join in with pancake racing and Tudor games.

Alternatively, take a trip to Hall's Croft for potions, special talks and activities on the theme of 'Diet, Disease and Death'. Activities include Dr. Hall's Potion Pack (for families); comprising a simple medical themed quiz to lead you around the house, medicine chest craft activity creating the contents of a drawer in an Apothecary's medicine cabinet, a Apprentice Apothecary sticker and a competition to win a family ticket to Mary Arden's Farm. Children may also like to take part in an 'Angels and Gargoyles' trail around the house.

Please visit the pages of individual houses for details of opening times and prices.

Please click on the following link to read about Shakespeare's Sonnets.