Stratford-upon-Avon

Coordinates: 52°11′24″N 1°42′36″W / 52.19°N 1.710°W / 52.19; -1.710

Stratford-upon-Avon (/ˌstrætfərd əˌpɒn ˈeɪvən/) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, on the River Avon, 22 miles (35 km) south east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south west of Warwick. The estimated population in 2007 was 25,505, increasing to 27,445 at the 2011 Census.

The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and receives an estimated 4.9 million visitors a year. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

History

Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and developed as a market town in the medieval period. The original charters of the town were granted in 1196, making Stratford over 800 years old. The name is a combination of the Old English strǣt, meaning "street", and ford, indicating a site at which a road forded a river. The "street" was a smaller Roman road connecting the larger roads Fosse Way and Icknield Street.

Stratford-on-Avon District

Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.

The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based.

The district is mostly rural and covers most of the southern half of Warwickshire. As well as Stratford, the district also includes the towns of Alcester, Southam, and Shipston-on-Stour, and the large villages of Studley and Wellesbourne.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon, Alcester Rural District, Shipston-on-Stour Rural District, Southam Rural District and a majority of Stratford-upon-Avon Rural District.

Education

In the state sector, children start school in the school year (1 September to 31 August) in which they turn five. They stay at primary school for seven years until they are eleven. As part of Warwickshire, Stratford-on-Avon still maintains the grammar school system. In the final year of primary school, children are given the opportunity of sitting the eleven plus exam in order to compete for a place at one of the grammar schools.

Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)

Stratford-on-Avon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Nadhim Zahawi, a Conservative.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Leamington, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Warwick, the Sessional Divisions of Alcester, Brailes, Henley, Stratford, Snitterfield, and Warwick (including the civil parish of Bishop's Tachbrook), and the part of the Sessional Division of Kenilworth in the Parliamentary Borough of Warwick and Leamington.