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William was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 to John, a successful glove maker, and Mary Arden the daughter of a local affluent farmer. He was one of eight children, and the eldest surviving son of the Shakespeare's.

He married Ann Hathaway in 1582 when he was 18 years old. They had three children Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. It is not known exactly when William began writing his poems and plays, but by 1592 several of his plays were on the London stage.

William Shakespeare's continued success as a playwright, resulted in him purchasing New Place (below), the second largest house in Stratford in 1597. He continued to divide his time between London and Stratford.

In 1599 the leading players company in London, the Kings Men (of which William was a member) built The Globe on the south bank of the River Thames.

William inherited the family home in Henley Street (above) when his father died in 1601. As he now lived in New Place with his own family he had no need for the building as a family dwelling. It was leased to a man who converted and ran it as an inn, and later to William Shakespeare's sister, Joan, who lived there until her death in 1646.

So what of these sites today?

The Globe in London was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by 1614 but closed in 1642. In 1997 a modern version of the the Globe called Shakespeare's Globe was built very close to the original site on the South Bank.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and The Swan Theatre on the banks of the Avon in Stratford are currently under extensive redevelopment, planned to reopen in 2010. This stands on the site of the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre which was destroyed by fire in 1926 and was rebuilt in 1932. A temporary auditorium, The Courtyard Theatre, is home to this seasons schedule.

The house in Henley Street still stands and along with The Shakespeare Centre next door serves as a permanent attraction for tourist and Shakespeare fans from all around the world.

New Place was handed down to Williams daughter and then granddaughter, who eventually married, Thomas Nash - who lived next door (Nash's House). The next owner was Rev Francis Gastrell. The house was known to have been owned by William Shakespeare, and many visitors came to the house to catch a glimpse of the family home. In 1759, Rev Gastrell destroyed a mulberry tree in the garden which was believed to have been planted by William Shakespeare, and in retaliation for such an act, the local townspeople broke the windows of New Place. Gastrell, so enraged by this, razed New Place to the ground - nothing remained. Nash's House next door is now a museum and it is possible to access the foundations of New Place via this building.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust now owns and cares for the 5 Shakespeare buildings and landmarks in and around Stratford.