FEATURE: Shakespeare Country alive and well Down Under

Steve Hayes

12 February 2010

AT A GLANCE you'd be forgiven for mistaking these buildings for Stratford's best known landmarks - but they are in fact on the other side of the world.
The incredibly accurate replicas of Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's cottage were painstakingly planned and built during the 1970s thousands of miles away in Western Australia.
They were constructed by retired British engineer, Leo Fowler, to the exact measurements of the originals and using traditional techniques at a cost of £2 million.
And the amazing, little-known story of the Elizabethan Village in Armadale is now being brought to life by Mr Fowler's daughter Sally-ann, in a new book.
Sally-ann, who still lives in Australia, contacted the Observer about the fascinating tale.
She said: "It really is an amazing story. My father had a real eye for architecture and spent all his life in the industry - he wanted to bring some Elizabethan culture to Australia and these are exact replicas of the buildings in Stratford, even the measurements are identical.
"A plaque was recently unveiled commemorating his achievements in the village and recognising it as a historic site in Australia.
"It was a very proud day for me to see his memory honoured at last."
After emigrating to Australia in the early 1970s, Birmingham-born Mr Fowler gained permission from the Birthplace Trust to replicate the buildings.
The director at the time, Levi Fox, told him he thought the replicas could not be completed accurately, but Mr Fowler, who spent his career building and restoring historic buildings, replicated them with staggering accuracy and the village was opened in the late 1970s.
To achieve such startling results Mr Fowler commissioned architect Lawrence Burton to draw up detailed plans from the buildings and Sally-ann believes they may be the only known accurate blueprints of the site.
A sawmill was created near the site and all building was supervised by experienced craftsmen who used traditional dowling techniques to put together the solid timber frames.
Sally-Ann said: "All the techniques that were used were the same at the time and it was all done with amazing detail.
"When the plans were completed in 1974, dad and mum started work and they brought with them one of the biggest collection of early English oak furniture outside the UK.
"It really is quite a tale and the buildings are still there in all their glory for people to go and visit."
Sally-Ann said she now plans to contact British museums and historical societies about the blueprints because she believes they may be the only accurate plans of the buildings in the world.

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