Address

Billesley
Warwickshire
STRATFORD UPON AVON
B49 6NF

Contact

Tel : +44 020 7213 0660

A light-filled gem with a Shakespeare connection, All Saints rises from a lovely wooded churchyard in the hamlet of Billesley near Stratford-upon-Avon. From its approach through an avenue of limes, it looks like a Georgian country church – but its origins go back 1,000 years. The church served the thriving village of Billesley for centuries, but by 1428 only four parishioners were left, and the church’s north aisle was demolished. Even so, it is said that All Saints is where Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582. In 1692, Bernard Whalley rebuilt the church to create a fashionable classical addition to his Billesley estate. He installed a gallery for his staff complete with a butler’s boxed seat. Whalley’s own pew had a fine classical fireplace. His body lies, with his wife Lucy, in a sealed vault beneath the sanctuary floor. Look for the two spectacular 12th-century carvings in the vestry showing Christ holding hands with an unknown figure and a beautiful scene with animals, a soldier and wonderfully twisting foliage. This church is one of 340 cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust – the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. Discover these atmospheric buildings and the stories they tell of people and place. You will find some of the finest craftsmanship the country has to offer - art and architecture, wall paintings, sculpture, stained glass and monuments. A thousand years of English history awaits you!

Directions

By Road

4 miles west of Stratford-upon-Avon, off A46. Follow signs to Billesley and Billesley Manor Hotel.