There has been a property on this site since 1146, and the building has been known as The Shreve's House for the last 500 years in honour of its first recorded tenant, an Archer to King Henry VIII. The building has borne witness to Plague, Fire, Civil War, and murder, and William Shakespeare is documented to have walked the ancient cobblestones that lead to the massive barn at the rear of the house. Civil War troops were billeted here in the 17th Century, and a local Serial Killer is said to have committed his foul deeds within the building during its time as a brothel and tavern. During the history of the Falstaff's, there are also strong links to Witchcraft here, and one area outside the barn is still used by practising Witches today.

Stratford upon Avon was founded by the Saxons when they invaded Warwickshire in the 7th century AD. The name Stratford is made up of Celtic and Saxon words. It was the street ford that is the ford by the Roman road. Avon is a Celtic word meaning river or water. At first, Stratford Upon Avon was a typical village, but in the late 12th century, it was transformed into a town. (At that time, trade and commerce increased, and many new towns were founded). In 1196, King Richard I granted Stratford the right to hold weekly markets. Soon, the town of Stratford Upon Avon was up and running, and there were many craftsmen there, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, brewers and bakers. Stratford was also known for its malting industry. (Processing barley for brewing).

The very first battle of the English Civil War took place at Kineton, some 12 miles from Stratford. Under the command of Colonel Behr, many of the Parliamentary troops were billeted at 40 Sheep Street. The battle was called the Battle of Edgehill (sometimes also called 'The Kineton Fight') on 23rd October 1642. Rumour has it that Oliver Cromwell stayed in the building before the Battle of Worcester. However, without documented evidence, this isn’t easy to verify.

Colonel Lucas, a Parliamentarian, rented the building from John Woolmer (who lived at the top of Sheep Street). John Woolmer was a Royalist sympathiser and was often targeted for special treatment. However, when the monarchy was restored (the Restoration), he negotiated the new Borough Charter and became the first Mayor of Stratford. He was the first of three mayors to have lived at 40 Sheep Street over the centuries.

Of course, Stratford-Upon-Avon is a lot more peaceful nowadays. The primary industry is tourism, particularly William Shakespeare's association with the town. Many people also come to Stratford to look at this quaint town and the wonderfully preserved Tudor buildings, such as The Shreve's House, Halls Croft and Harvard House, to name just a few buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the late 16th century, Stratford Upon Avon was still a small market town. It probably had a population of between 1,500 and 2,000. The town slowly grew despite outbreaks of plague in 1564 and 1645. In 1553, King Edward VI re-founded the grammar school and incorporated Stratford Upon Avon (formed a corporation to run it).

Meanwhile, in 1557, a glover from Stratford Upon Avon named John Shakespeare married Mary Arden, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer from Wilmcote. Their son William was born on or about 23 April 1564 in Henley Street. The son of a middle-class citizen, he would have attended grammar school. In 1582, William married Anne Hathaway, a farmer from nearby Shottery.

However, in 1587, William Shakespeare left for London. In 1597, he bought a New Place in Stratford Upon Avon, which he lived in when he retired. William Shakespeare had a daughter named Susanna. She married a man named John Hall, and they lived in a house in Stratford called Hall's Croft.

Meanwhile, at 40 Sheep Street, the first known tenant of William Shreve’s building was in residence from 1536. Master Shreve was an archer to King Henry VIII. The house is still called 'The Shreve's House' to this day, and it could be reasonably assumed he was an essential figure in his time and may have been a Sheriff of some sort, as his name suggests.

Medieval Stratford Upon Avon would seem tiny to us. It probably only had a population of between 1,000 and 1,500. However, towns were small in those days. By the 13th century, Stratford had a small grammar school. In the Middle Ages, people formed religious communities called guilds. The Guild of the Holy Cross was formed in Stratford in 1269. The guild had its chapel, which still stands.
Property on this site has existed since 1196, when the Bishop of Worcester divided the area into 29 plots. 40 Sheep Street was one of those plots, just a short stroll from the riverside. This building consists of a wattle-and-daub medieval house (the oldest lived in a house in Stratford) and the huge 16th-century barn at the rear, known as the Shreeves House for the last 500 years.

There have been several fires in Stratford. The 1594 fire burnt down much of one-half of Stratford, and the fire in 1595 burnt down much of the other side (High Street, Bridge Street and Sheep Street. The front of the Shreve's building survived, built around 1470. However, the rest of the property was extensively rebuilt. The 1595 cobblestones are, therefore, the oldest surviving in Stratford-Upon-Avon and on which William Shakespeare himself would have walked on his way to the Three Tonnes Tavern.

In the 16th century, the property was a tavern. The tavern keeper, William Rogers, has been some of the inspiration for Shakespeare's famous comic character Falstaff, who appears in two of his plays. There is also documented evidence that his family had strong connections with Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s daughter Suzannah was close friends with Elizabeth, the daughter of the Rogers; Shakespeare also left their nephew, William Walker, 20 shillings in his will. At this time, the property would have consisted of a house and outhouses, a stable, and blacksmiths.