Stratford-upon-Avon founded
1196 CE.
Shown on the map at 52.193°, -1.706°.
Stratford-upon-Avon ( ... AY-vən), also known simply as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, 91 miles (146 km) north-west of London, 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Warwick. The town is the southernmost point of the Arden area at the northern extremity of the Cotswolds. At the 2021 census Stratford had a population of 30,495. Stratford was inhabited originally by Britons before Anglo-Saxons and remained a village before the lord of the manor, John of Coutances, set out plans to develop it into a town in 1196. In that same year, Stratford was granted a charter from King Richard I to hold a weekly market in the town, giving it its status as a market town. As a result, Stratford experienced an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion. Stratford is a popular tourist destination, owing to being the birthplace and burial place of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as the national poet of England.
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