Stratford-on-Avon

• Stratford-upon-Avon
• Stratford

From being the location of a river ford for a roadway. From Old Welsh avon (“river”) + Old English ford (“ford”) + Old English strǣt (“street”); from Latin strata (“road”). From being a ford for a British Roman road. The ford itself has subsequently been built over, becoming Clopton Bridge. The river itself has subsequently become named River Avon.

Stratford-on-Avon

1. A town in Warwickshire, England, birthplace of William Shakespeare. Often used as a byword for a particularly idyllic or historic town.
   • 1957, The Foundry Trade Journal, page 454:

     Nuneaton was not a Stratford on Avon, nor had it a salubrious air.

   • 1979, Steven Kagle, America: Exploration and Travel, page 82:

     If America is not privileged enough to have a Stratford-on-Avon, it still has a Concord

2. A local government district of Warwickshire with its headquarters in the town.

• Officially, the term "Stratford-upon-Avon" signifies the town, while the term "Stratford-on-Avon" signifies the district within which it is located. However, this distinction is often ignored.