OK, this morning was really cold. I don’t think any were prepared for the weather, but it sure woke us up as we waited to get inside Anne Hathaway’s cottage.

We quickly warmed up once inside! Our guide Charles showed us every detail of the house including the thatched roof and how the cottage was constructed. As Jenny and I filmed the house, it was very easy for me to imagine a young William Shakespeare travelling to see Anne before they married.

The house is about 1 mile away from Shakespeare’s home, in a village called Shottery. While the details of how they met aren’t clear, it is thought that their fathers may have known each other from conducting business in town.

From the house, experts know that Anne’s family had several things that other families at the time did not. This included their own bread oven and a stone floor. During Shakespeare’s day, many floors were just made of dirt.

The ProjectExplorer ladies sat on the famous ‘Courting Bench’ which is where Shakespeare may have recited some early sonnets to Anne. Perhaps it was the Shakespeare’s poetry that won Anne’s heart.

More tomorrow,

Learn about Shakespeare: The Later Years.

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