Shakespeare tourists view wrong house -- for 200 years

A village historian decided in 1872 that Shakespeare's mother had grown up at a property known as Mary Arden's House; actually she lived down the road at Glebe Farm

LONDON, England -- For years, tourists believed they were getting a glimpse inside the house where William Shakespeare's mother lived as a child.

Now new research shows they were at the wrong address.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said on Wednesday that research proves beyond a doubt that the Bard's mother grew up at Glebe Farm, not the property called Mary Arden's House, which is located just 50 yards (50 meters) away in Wilmcote, a village outside Stratford-upon-Avon in England.

The Trust previously had taken the word of local historian John Jordan, who identified the house in 1792 -- though visitors were told by guides that there was no certainty.

Mary Arden's House has been misleading tourists for years

Now researchers commissioned by the Trust found a property deed dating from 1587 that proves Arden lived at Glebe Farm years earlier.

Church of England records in London have confirmed the find.

By chance, the trust owns both properties.

"It's a wonderful coincidence, and thank God the trust decided to buy Glebe Farm. It could easily have become a housing estate or been demolished," said Nick Walsh, estate manager at the Wilmcote site.

Glebe Farm is the rediscovered historical connection

Some 100,000 people each year visit Mary Arden's House, which was bought by the trust in the 1930s.

The trust's director, Roger Pringle, said he hoped the discovery would boost tourism.

"My excitement at having this proof of the exact location of the Arden House will be shared by many people," he said.

Merchandise bearing images of the current Mary Arden's House, which will be renamed Palmer's Farm before the end of the year, will now have to be redesigned.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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