Not far from Falstaff Street and Anne Hathaway Park, named after the playwright's wife, a majestic white swan floats on the River Avon

and the school's namesake play is often performed as part of a famous theater festival that attracts legions of Shakespeare fans from around the world every April to October

says Frank Herr, second-generation owner of a boat tour and rental business along the River Avon

Then, about a dozen years ago, a new and generally much younger cultural enthusiast began to appear on the streets of Stratford

The place of his first date, the local radio station that first played his music, eat dinner where he was rumored

Unlike Shakespeare — who never set foot in the city, named after his birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon, England — Mr. Bieber has real and deep connections: He grew up here and is known to many

He was always skateboarding at the Cenotaph, and I always kicked him off the Cenotaph," she added, referring to the World War I memorial in the gardens beside Lake Victoria

He was always skateboarding at the Cenotaph, and I always kicked him off the Cenotaph," she added, referring to the World War I memorial in the gardens beside Lake Victoria

The 9thSteps has become something of a pilgrimage site for Mr. Bieber's fans, especially those looking for his teen-pop dreamboat "one less lonely girl" wanted to become