Editing Stratford-upon-Avon (section)

===17th and 18th centuries===
Stratford was the centre of considerable activity and some fighting during the [[English Civil War]]. Being located at the junction of several main roads, it was strategically important for both the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] and [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] armies. Due to its close proximity to the Parliamentarian stronghold of [[Warwick]], Stratford remained under Parliamentarian control for the majority of the conflict, although it was only directly occupied by troops for sporadic intervals. In February 1643, Stratford was occupied by Royalist forces under [[Joseph Wagstaffe|Colonel Wagstaffe]].<ref name="BHOLhistacc"/>

It was recaptured by Parliamentarians under [[Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke|Lord Brooke]] on 25 February after an engagement on the nearby road to Warwick. Having secured the town, Brooke returned to Warwick. In one notable incident in February 1643, Stratford's Market Hall, at the site of the current [[Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall|Town Hall]], was destroyed after three barrels of [[gunpowder]] which were being stored there blew up. From March 1644, until part of the following year, Stratford appears to have been continuously occupied by Parliamentarian troops. There was one further Royalist raid in April 1645.<ref name="BHOLhistacc"/>

A number of famous people passed through Stratford during the conflict: In April 1643, [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] passed through, he was at Stratford again in July, where he met the Queen [[Henrietta Maria]], who was travelling through [[the Midlands]], and she was the guest of honour of [[Susanna Hall]], William Shakespeare's daughter, at [[New Place]]. [[Oliver Cromwell]] was at Stratford in December 1646, and again in 1651, before the [[Battle of Worcester]].<ref name="BHOLhistacc"/>

Despite Stratford's increase in trade, it barely grew between the middle of the 13th century and the end of the 16th century, with a survey of the town showing 217 houses belonged to the lord of the manor in 1590. Growth continued to be slow throughout the 17th century, with [[hearth tax]] returns showing that at most there were approximately 429 houses in the town by 1670. However, more substantial expansion began following several [[inclosure act]]s in the late 18th century, with the first and largest development by John Payton who developed land on the north side of the old town, creating several streets including John Street and Payton Street.<ref name="BritishHistory" /><ref name="BritishHistory_inclosures">{{cite web|title=The borough of Stratford-upon-Avon: Commons, inclosures and mills {{!}} British History Online|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol3/pp266-269|website=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=14 November 2016}}</ref>

In 1769, the actor [[David Garrick]] staged a major [[Shakespeare Jubilee]] over three days which saw the construction of a large [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] and the influx of many visitors. This contributed to the growing phenomenon of [[Bardolatry]] which made Stratford a tourist destination.<ref name="FindingShakespeare_Jubilee">{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Roz|title=Garrick's Jubilee|url=http://findingshakespeare.co.uk/garricks-jubilee|website=Finding Shakespeare|access-date=9 November 2016|date=6 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="BBC_Jubilee"/>

Before the dominance of road and rail, Stratford was an important gateway to the network of British [[canal]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stratford Upon Avon {{!}} Area Guides {{!}} Relocate to Birmingham|url=https://www.relocatetobirmingham.co.uk/area-guides/area-guides/stratford-upon-avon/|website=Relocatetobirmingham.co.uk|access-date=9 November 2016}}</ref> The [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]] was made navigable through Stratford in 1639, by the construction of [[Lock (water navigation)|locks]] and [[weir]]s, providing Stratford with a navigable link to the [[River Severn]] to the south-west and to near [[Warwick]] to the north-east, this allowed, in the words of [[Daniel Defoe]] "a very great Trade for Sugar, Oil, Wine, Tobacco, Iron, Lead and in a word, all heavy goods which are carried by water almost as far as Warwick; and in return the corn, and especially the cheese, is brought back from [[Gloucestershire]] and [[Warwickshire]] to [[Bristol]]".<ref name="BHOLhistacc"/>