Hall’s Croft is a historic house in Stratford-upon-Avon’s Old Town, once home to Susanna, Shakespeare’s eldest daughter, and her husband, physician Dr John Hall. Inside, period furnishings, paintings and medical displays give a glimpse of their household and the treatments of the time. The walled garden has medicinal herbs, old trees and a vegetable plot, with a café on site for a pause after exploring. It is close to New Place and Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried.
The Halls’ home
Hall’s Croft was the Stratford-upon-Avon home of Susanna, William Shakespeare’s eldest daughter, and her husband, Dr John Hall. John Hall was a physician, and the house gives visitors a view of family life as well as the medical knowledge and practices of his era.
The couple later moved to New Place, another Shakespeare-related site in town. Hall’s Croft also had other chapters: it passed through the hands of several local families and was used as a boys’ school before the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust acquired it in the 1940s. The building is managed by the Trust today.
Rooms and medical displays
The furnished rooms contain paintings and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries. Among the notable pieces are a replica tester bed, decorative children’s high chairs and a Warwickshire press cupboard dated 1673. These objects help bring the domestic setting into focus without separating it from the people who lived there.
Displays explore Dr Hall’s work and the medicine of his period. Look for the medical equipment and references to herbal remedies, which connect the rooms to the garden outside. The exhibits include a first edition of Hall’s medical notes, published in 1657. Taken together, the furnishings and medical material offer a picture of a well-to-do household and the physician’s practice.
The walled garden
The garden is planted with herbs associated with traditional medicine, alongside flowers, a vegetable garden and old trees including a black mulberry and a medlar. Its plants provide context for the medical displays inside: herbs grown here were used in remedies, linking the household’s outdoor space with John Hall’s work.
There is also a café on the site, so you can take a break after looking through the house and garden. Hall’s Croft sits close to Holy Trinity Church and New Place, making it straightforward to add other Shakespeare-related stops to a visit.
FAQ
Who lived at Hall’s Croft?
It was the home of Susanna, Shakespeare’s eldest daughter, and her husband, physician Dr John Hall.
What can you see inside Hall’s Croft?
The house has period furniture and paintings, along with displays about Dr Hall and historical medicine. Items include a replica tester bed and a first edition of his medical notes, published in 1657.
What is in the garden at Hall’s Croft?
The walled garden contains medicinal herbs, flowers, vegetables and old trees, including a black mulberry and a medlar.
Can you visit Hall’s Croft with a combined ticket?
A Full Story Ticket covers five Shakespeare-related places in Stratford-upon-Avon, including Hall’s Croft.
