… Old Trees!
We visited all of the Shakespeare Trust managed properties when we stayed in the town in May, the house we really did not think was worth the visit, though, was New Place. The reason is in the name, it is new, although it was built on the site of Shakespeare’s family home, there is nothing left of the original building and therefore the building was not a satisfying experience.
However, the garden was a lovely serene place, if I lived in Stratford upon Avon I would pay for an annual pass and just sit in the garden for hours at a time. it was beautiful and I felt more in tune with the history of the place in the garden than I did in the new house. Especially because… yes… there was a very old tree. A mulberry tree. Apart from in historic gardens mulberry trees are scarce these days, and therefore I find them fascinating. While this tree was not as old as the 1500s I could clearly see that it’s been around for a long time, and it is claimed to be grown from a cutting from one that Shakespeare had in his garden orchard.
The last mulberry bush I saw was in the garden of Chastleton Hall, and that one was in fruit at the time.
The fruits look similar to raspberries but they are not at all the same, not in taste or growth type. The plants and fruits are unconnected. I haven’t tried a mulberry but they are described as very sweet when ripe.
What was even more exciting, though, was that the property I stayed in in the town was the oldest known residential house…
And, yes, it also had a very old mulberry bush in the garden! They were everywhere in Stratford upon Avon.
Author, Jane Lark's stories 