Shakespeare's final home to be excavated

London, Nov. 28 (ANI): The excavation at the site of Shakespeare's final home, The New Place, in Stratford-upon-Avon, will begin next year.

Archaeologists are hoping to find out more about the history of the building where the playwright died in 1616, the BBC reports.

The building was demolished in 1759, but it is believed that remains of the old house are still underground.

Experts from Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham, will start initial tests on the site on Tuesday and a full dig could be carried out next year, the report said.

Archaeologists will be searching for the foundations of the New Place, and will be looking through the original wells and rubbish pits.

Built in the 15th Century, The New Place was made of innovative materials such as brick, and it was thought to be the second-largest house in the town.

It was demolished by the then owner, the Reverend Gastrell, and the site was excavated in the 1860s, the report said.

Presently, at the site of the New Place is a landscaped garden, which is looked after by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

"Our purpose would be to create a modern record of New Place, providing us with a better understanding of the site, and potentially revealing new information about the house in which Shakespeare died and the way in which the family lived there," Dr Diana Owen, director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, was quoted, as saying. (ANI)