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[Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon.] 18.[This building is a double two-storey gabled house. The room in which Shakespeare was born overlooks the street. The house once contained sixteen rooms, although now the attic floors have been removed to make room for a museum containing relics and documents relating to Shakespeare. The house is typical of those occupied by well-to-do tradesmen in the sixteenth century. The eastern portion was purchased by John Shakespear, the father, in 1556; the western half, which contains the room in which Shakespeare was born, was not purchased until 1575, although occupied by the family some years earlier. On his death, Shakespeare left the house to his sister, Joan Hart, and it remained in the possession of the Hart family until 1808, when it was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust In 1857-8 the Trustees carefully restored the building as nearly as possible to its original condition. The house has been a place of pilgrimage for thousands of visitors, and in the room in which the poet was born may be seen many signatures on the walls and windows, including those of Kean, Thackeray, Dickins and Sir Walter Scott. Nearly 150,000 persons visit this buidling annually, including many Americans.]