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Visiting the town of Stratford-upon-Avon taught me about the life of a famous investor, money lender and landlord who was so shrewd that in his will he left only his second best bed to the widow, to prevent gold-diggers getting their hands on the money. His name? William Shakespeare, who was it seems as much businessman as bard.

The tourist trail comprises five "Shakespeare houses", and the logical place to start is where the playwright was born. The entry to Shakespeare's Birthplace in Henley Street is through an exhibition which gives an insight into life in the 16th century.

John Shakespeare, a glove maker by trade, moved to Stratford in the 1550's and bought this house in which to raise his family. William was born here in 1564 and visitors can see the parish register where his baptism was recorded on April 26.

Growing up, William would have seen troupes of traveling actors visit the town, and at eleven may have watched the Earl of Leicester's pageant at nearby Kenilworth Castle for Queen Elizabeth, with whom the Earl was having an affair.

The exhibition has a wax figure of the bard at work and a model of London's Globe Theatre. The house itself is furnished as it would have been in the 1570's, the dining table being set in the parlour, which has the original stone floor.

Watch your head through the doorways. People weren't as tall then as they are today.

The property has a garden planted with trees, shrubs and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.

Just out of town in the village of Shottery is Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the farm house where William's wife grew up. It has a thatched roof and oak paneled walls with wattle and daub between.

The settle is here, on which the famous pair sat courting before they were married in 1582. Shakespeare was 18 at the time and Anne 26, and three months pregnant. Five years later he would leave wife and child with his family while he went to London to make his mark in the theatre.

In the countryside at Wilmcote, three miles from Stratford lies Mary Arden's House, a Tudor farm dwelling where William's mother lived before marrying John. There's also a Shakespeare Countryside Museum illustrating life on the land over four centuries.

Unlike some famous literary figures, William the merchant's son had no intention of dying in poverty. Returning to Stratford, Shakespeare bought a large house known as New Place. He resided in the back part so that the larger front section could be let out for a bigger income. Not only a landlord at home, he also was a substantial local property investor and a money lender to boot.

New Place was later demolished by its clergyman owner to be rid of the crowds of Shakespeare followers. All that remains are footings, cellar arches and remnants of the garden. These are next to Nash's House, once home to Thomas Nash who married Shakespeare's grand-daughter. Behind Nash's House is an Elizabethan style knott garden.

Shrewd to the end, and fearful that fortune hunters might court his widow and his daughter be left with nothing, Shakespeare wrote his will very carefully.

To daughter Susanna and her doctor husband John Hall, William left most of his property, an estate worth £2 million by today's standards. To his wife Anne he left "my second best bed", the best bed being reserved for guests. After the playwright's death John and Susanna moved into New Place to look after Anne.

Before that they lived in the doctor's house Hall's Croft, one of the finest half-timbered, gabled houses in Stratford-upon-Avon. Here are displayed some of Hall's case notes, detailing for example how "Mr Drayton, an excellent poet, was cured by the emetic infusion one ounce, syrup of violets a spoonful." Such was life in Elizabethan times.

The five Shakespeare houses in and around Stratford-upon-Avon are owned and preserved by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. But there wasn't always a reverence for the past, as evidenced by the demise of New Place.

Charles Dickens was one of a group of people whose efforts ensured that the birthplace became a national memorial. Many other famous visitors passed through here, including Keats in 1817, Tennyson in 1840, Mark Twain in 1873 and Thomas Hardy in 1896.

From 700 visitors a year in the early 19th century, numbers have swollen to half a million per year nowadays.

And by my observation they seemed to come mostly from the former "colonies" of the USA, Canada and Australia. Well might they cut their other ties with Britain, but when it comes to the legendary William Shakespeare, the crowds of "colonials" are as keen as ever.

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