As reading and literary tourism reach new heights of popularity, the filming of a bestselling novel about Shakespeare is predicted to drive increased visitor numbers to the United Kingdom and the shooting locations for the much-anticipated screen adaptation. And one location in particular is hitting the headlines: a four-hundred-year-old farmhouse in Herefordshire where visitors can stay the night.
Maggie O’Farrell’s book Hamnet explores through fiction the love and loss that Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, usually known as Anne Hathaway, experienced. The tale focuses on Agnes’s point of view and has been made into a film by award-winning Chinese-born director Chloé Zhao. She and her team chose Cwmmau Farmhouse, near the border between England and Wales, to portray Agnes’s childhood home, Hewlands (the real version of which is already a well-known visitor attraction situated near Stratford-upon-Avon).
Cwmmau is surrounded by country lanes, woods, wildflower meadows, and orchards. In the book, Agnes is deeply connected to nature, and the way she gathers herbs, speaks to bees, and harvests honey and apples is an important aspect of the story.
The timber-framed, five-bedroomed farmhouse can welcome up to 10 guests. It boasts traditional Jacobean features such as visible oak beams, stone floors, and a bread oven. Guests might even find themselves sharing the place with roosting bats, the official website warns. Protected by a Grade II historic building listing, the property is owned and cared for by the National Trust, but the filming money has allowed renovations to take place.
That means there are all the comforts that today’s guests might expect, from modern bathrooms and kitchen appliances to a biomass heating system and parking for up to eight cars. It is due to be available for rental from March 2026. Prices start at £1547 for three nights (over €1700 with exchange rates at the time of writing).
Other places used during Hamnet’s filming include nearby Weobley, which is one of the best-preserved Tudor villages in the UK and bears little trace of the Industrial Revolution. Its church, where Shakespeare and Agnes marry in the production, is likely to become an Instagram mecca.
To avoid potential crowds, booklovers and culture vultures will find a wealth of destinations to visit in the vicinity and can visit other National Trust sites for free. The farmhouse is close to Hay-on-Wye, nicknamed ‘Town of Books’ and home to the internationally renowned literary event, the Hay Festival, which takes place in May. The Weir Gardens, another National Trust property that dates back to Roman times, is half an hour’s drive away, and is beloved for its walled area, spring bulbs, and wild species such as otters.
Plus, the Ancient Scheduled Monument called Cwmmau Motte is not far off. It is an oval mound that is thought to be the site of a Norman castle. Stargazers can take advantage of the Brecon Beacons Dark Sky Reserve, while creatives, hikers, and mountain bikers can follow in the footsteps of poets and painters who have been inspired by the Black Mountains.
