Stratford-upon-Avon is an Elizabethan town based on a grid pattern of streets laid out when Stratford was founded around 1200.
At the time of Shakespeare's birth Stratford-upon-Avon was a small market town and an important river crossing over the River Avon. It was within easy reach of London, Oxford, Warwick and Worcester.
In Shakespeares's time Stratford had fairs, a weekly market and a whole range of shops and small businesses. Stratford's position near the River Avon, where several routes converged from surrounding villages, made it well situated to serve as a market centre.
To the south of the River Avon, the area was largely used for growing crops, and to the north, in the wooded area of the Forest of Arden, cattle farming was more common. Different types of produce from these areas were sold at the weekly market.