The Hollywood effect of Hamnet on Stratford and Weobley

Even before its theatrical release, Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, was tipped for success at the Oscars.

Based on the award-winning 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell, the film is a fictional account exploring the lives of William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes, real name Anne Hathaway, and their family.

Now, because of the hype surrounding the film, which was released in the UK on Friday, filming and historic locations are hoping the Hollywood effect will help boost tourism.

Shakespeare, of course, was from Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. But much of the historical drama was filmed about 60 miles (96.5km) away in the village of Weobley in Herefordshire. Can a sprinkle of Hollywood glamour turn eyes to the West Midlands?

“I think it’ll be extraordinary for the town, I think the benefits are huge, because albeit we understand that it wasn’t filmed in Stratford, it shines a light on Anne Hathaway’s cottage,” said Richard Paterson, chief operating officer at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

“Hamnet reimagines the families, landscapes, and influences of home, which is so fundamental in what Shakespeare wrote about.

“If I was a member of the public, why would I not want to go and see where it actually happened?”

“Shakespeare was inspired by the landscape, the area in Warwickshire… when Maggie O’Farrell visited she was equally inspired,” he said.

He said the town already had relatively high footfall, and although too early to definitively say what effect the film would have, he believes it will make its mark.

“The town can only expect an uplift, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a 10, 15, 20 per cent uplift.”

He added that the exposure was “absolutely critical” in keeping Shakespeare alive.

“What is so great about film, and the book, and the reimagining, is it demonstrates how Shakespeare still resonates today.”

“Any recreations will benefit regionally, nationally, and globally – it emphasises and amplifies the importance of him and his works.”

The trust owns five family homes related to the playwright, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace, his mother’s farm, Shakespeare’s new place (where he died) and Halls Croft, where his family lived beyond his life.

“Stratford as a town is still unchanged, so you’d still be walking down the same streets as Shakespeare and his family did,” he added.

In Herefordshire, Nick Mason, county councillor for the Weobley ward said: “The sleepy village of Weobley really woke up… it was a little bit of Hollywood in Hereford.”

“This film is the marketing or advertising that money just can’t buy.”

Despite going through a transformation for filming, such as blocking off signage and covering the streets in straw, the village still bears some resemblance to 1596, the time period the film is set in.

Many of the black and white buildings are from the late 15th and early 16th century and the landscape nearby is described by Visit Herefordshire as “bucolic” and “Shakespearean”, so visitors keen to immerse themselves in the film’s world won’t have to stretch their imagination.

In fact, the village has already had visitors attracted by the film The history society said it bumped into tourists on Boxing Day.

“The whole Hollywood effect, the Hamnet Herefordshire effect is going to be really really good for our tourism industry in Herefordshire,” said Jo Hilditch, chair of Visit Herefordshire.

“We’re really capitalising on Hamnet, we’ve got Hamnet trails, falconry, foraging.”

The Hamnet-inspired walking trail starts in Weobley, taking visitors through areas where it was filmed, across green fields and through country lanes, ending in Pembridge, another village famed for its black-and-white timber-framed buildings and which is a two hour walk away.

There is also an exhibition in the village’s library and museum about the filming process.

“Tourism is a huge issue in Herefordshire… increasing our tourism by even a small amount is going to have a huge impact on the amount of services we can provide for our residents,” added Mason.

“Everybody wants a village that has got a pub in it, and a cafe and restaurants… the more tourism, the more likely it is those places will prosper, so it’s great for the longevity and the sustainability of the village.

“We are working with partners to make sure that people understand what they can do in Herefordshire and how they can come and visit.”