Warwickshire’s Mary Arden’s Farm to remain education centre and closed to general visitors

MARY Arden’s Farm will no longer be open to general visitors with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) announcing that the property will permanently be used for primary school-age education.

The Wilmcote property has long been a favourite with Stratford families, but SBT said when the farm was open to the public last year, the demand was much less than expected.

With that in mind, the charity said it had made the tough decision to repurpose Mary Arden’s Farm on a permanent basis, although it would explore opportunities for local residents to still access the property, such as community days.

The site now welcomes around 3,300 pupils a year after SBT temporarily located its primary learning activities there because of the Covid pandemic – it was the only suitable property where the charity could continue this work, one of its charitable objectives.

A SBT spokesperson said: “This focus, important as it is, has meant significant changes to the operation of the property, including the use of internal spaces, access routes for visitors and ensuring the property is meeting the safeguarding standards for children.

“These changes have made it increasingly difficult to adapt the space from a learning focus to a general visitor, with increased costs on additional staffing.”

They added: “We have delivered general visitor focused activity at the property each year from 2021 to 2023, including a summer programme where Mary Arden’s Farm was open every Saturday and Sunday during the school holidays.

“This and other events have only generated modest audience engagement, much less than we expected, and when linked with the pressures of adapting the venue to meet the needs of the audience as well as the quality and consistency of the offer, these activities are not currently financially viable.”

SBT said, as a charity, it was not in a position to continue operating the property in this way.

However, it was stressed that Mary Arden’s would continue to operate as a working farm, giving children the opportunity to see the animals as part of their visit.

The spokesperson added: “On behalf of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, we want to thank all our audiences and stakeholders for their ongoing support, and we look forward to welcoming you to the other Shakespeare family homes this summer.”

SBT also said it would focus on having a range of family-friendly programming across the other Shakespeare family homes.

The charity was his hard by the Covid pandemic, having to close properties and furlough staff. When restrictions were lifted SBT prioritised reopening the Birthplace with New Place and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage reopening in June 2021. Hall’s Croft remains closed and, as reported by the Herald, is in need of conservation work.