Henley Street Shakespeare statue set to arrive next week

The long-awaited arrival of Henley Street’s new Shakespeare Statue is scheduled to take place next week, after workmen were observed putting the finishing touches to a new stone plinth.

The statue, which will sit halfway down Henley Street close to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the junction of Meer Street, has been gifted to the town by Stratford businessman Tony Bird OBE.

Created by sculptor James Butler, the £100,000 bronze statue will form an integral part of the new-look Henley Street, which is currently undergoing a £1.2million redevelopment.

Other sites for the statue elsewhere in Stratford have previously been suggested, but Henley Street was eventually selected.

It had been anticipated that the statue would be in place and the Henley Street work completed back in the spring in time of the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations, but the coronavirus pandemic triggered delays to the project and the cancellation of this year’s annual event.