Shakespeare Birthplace Trust set to open its archives to the public - The Stratford Observer

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust set to open its archives to the public

Stratford Editorial 10th Nov, 2015 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

HISTORY buffs can get a rare taste of some of the treasures contained in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust archives.

The trust will be throwing open the doors of the Shakespeare Centre on Tuesday (November 17) as part of the National Archives annual Explore Your Archive campaign.

This year the trust will display artefacts relating to food preparation and dining through the centuries at teh Henley Street centre from 10am to 3.30pm.

The free drop-in exhibition will feature everything from a 16th century posy trenchers to a hand-written note from comic hero Charlie Chaplin, complimenting the chef at the Shakespeare Hotel.




Visitors can also get a closer look at John Gerard’s 1597 publication of The Herbal or General Historie of Plantes.

The hand-coloured volume contains an extensive guide to plants, including their use in medicine, in cooking and their meaning. It also contains plant folk-lore which Shakespeare would have found useful for the many plant references he included in his plays.


Trust spokeswoman Victoria Joynes said: “We are excited to open up different parts of the collections to the public in this pop-up exhibition.

“Exploring different themes enables us to display documents, objects and books which are rarely seen by the public and the variety of what we have often surprises people. This is also an opportunity for visitors to meet members of our team and find out more about our free Reading Room service.”

Visit www.shakespeare.org.uk for further details.

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