Friday, August 14, 2026
26 C
New Delhi

Shakespeare’s birth home was nearly shipped to US in 1847; it was saved from a showman’s fantasy with a payment of £3,000

Shakespea e's bi th home was about to be shipped to the US i  1847; the Shakespea e T ust had to buy it fo  £3,000 to save it f om a showma  who wa ted to make it a theme pa k att actio

“I
like
this
place
a d
willi gly
could
waste
my
time
i
it,”
w ote
William
Shakespea e
i
his
play
‘As
You
Like
It’.
Most
people
feel
this
se time t
towa ds
thei
homes,
the
abodes
they
come
to
buy
a d
deco ate
i
the
space
of
a
lifetime
with
o e
t i ket
at
a
time.Shakespea e
is
believed
to
have
bee
bo
i
Ap il
1564
i
St atfo d-upo -Avo ,
Wa wickshi e,
E gla d.
While
the
exact
date
of
his
bi th
is
ot
eco ded,
it
is
celeb ated
a ou d
the
wo ld
o
Ap il
23.
He
was
the
eldest
so
of
Joh
a d
Ma y
Shakespea e
a d
o e
amo g
the
eight
child e
the
couple
we t
o
to
have.At
the
age
of
eightee ,
he
ma ied
A e
Hathaway,
a
you g
woma
f om
the
village
of
Shotte y,
just
outside
St atfo d-upo -Avo .
They
had
th ee
child e ,
o e
of
whom,
Ham et,
died
at
the
age
of
11.He
is
said
to
have
moved
to
Lo do
i
the
late
1580s
o
ea ly
1590s
to
wo k
i
the
theat e
busi ess,
si ce
he
wa ted
to
be
a
acto
a d
w ite .
His
ea liest
play
is
believed
to
be
o e
of
the
th ee
pa ts
of
Ki g
He y
VI
(Pa t
1,
Pa t
2,
a d
Pa t
3),
w itte
betwee
1589
a d
1591.
By
1592,
he
was
k ow
well
e ough
i
Lo do
to
be
i sulted
by
a othe
w ite
i
p i t.
The
ma
ega ded
as
E gla d’s
g eatest
playw ight
e ded
up
w iti g
38
plays
i
his
life
which
a e
pe fo med
a d
studied
to
date
ac oss
the
globe.

Savi g
Shakespea e’s
house

Savi g Shakespea e's house<b ><b >” msid=”133232950″ width=”” title=”Shakespea e is believed to have bee  bo   i  Ap il 1564 i  St atfo d-upo -Avo , Wa wickshi e, E gla d. ” placeholde s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” imgsize=””  esizemode=”4″ offsetve tical=”0″ placeholde msid=”47529300″ type=”thumb” s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” class=”” data-s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-133232950/savi g-shakespea es-houseb b .jpg” data-api-p e e de =”t ue”/></p>
<p>
Shakespea e<br />
is<br />
believed<br />
to<br />
have<br />
bee<br />
bo<br />
i<br />
Ap il<br />
1564<br />
i<br />
St atfo d-upo -Avo ,<br />
Wa wickshi e,<br />
E gla d.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>I<br />
the<br />
1830s,<br />
the<br />
Royal<br />
Shakespea ea<br />
Club<br />
had<br />
al eady<br />
become<br />
i volved<br />
i<br />
the<br />
 esto atio<br />
of<br />
the<br />
bust<br />
a d<br />
g ave<br />
at<br />
Holy<br />
T i ity<br />
Chu ch.<br />
The<br />
Club<br />
had<br />
begu<br />
to<br />
debate<br />
the<br />
idea<br />
of<br />
buyi g<br />
the<br />
He ley<br />
St eet<br />
house<br />
befo e<br />
the<br />
sale<br />
became<br />
public<br />
k owledge,<br />
so<br />
they<br />
set<br />
up<br />
The<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Bi thplace<br />
Committee<br />
with<br />
the<br />
i te tio<br />
of<br />
buyi g<br />
the<br />
p ope ty,<br />
which<br />
also<br />
i cluded<br />
Cha les<br />
Dicke s<br />
as<br />
a<br />
membe .I<br />
1846,<br />
the<br />
He ley<br />
St eet<br />
house<br />
was<br />
put<br />
fo<br />
sale.<br />
The<br />
adve tiseme t<br />
decla ed<br />
the<br />
house<br />
to<br />
be:<br />
‘the<br />
t uly<br />
hea t-sti  i g<br />
 elic<br />
of<br />
a<br />
most<br />
glo ious<br />
pe iod’<br />
a d<br />
p omised<br />
a<br />
public<br />
auctio<br />
o<br />
Septembe<br />
16<br />
of<br />
the<br />
yea .<br />
Public<br />
exciteme t<br />
fo<br />
the<br />
sale<br />
was<br />
high<br />
a d<br />
at<br />
the<br />
same<br />
time<br />
 umou s<br />
ci culated<br />
that<br />
the<br />
 oto ious<br />
Ame ica<br />
showma ,<br />
P.T.<br />
Ba  um<br />
i te ded<br />
to<br />
buy<br />
a d<br />
ship<br />
the<br />
house<br />
to<br />
New<br />
Yo k<br />
to<br />
joi<br />
his<br />
fleet<br />
of<br />
theme<br />
pa k<br />
att actio s.Ba  um<br />
visited<br />
St atfo d-upo -Avo<br />
i<br />
Wa wickshi e,<br />
E gla d,<br />
i<br />
1844<br />
while<br />
he<br />
was<br />
tou i g<br />
Eu ope<br />
with<br />
his<br />
show,<br />
see<br />
by<br />
400,000<br />
people<br />
a<br />
yea ,<br />
the<br />
‘Cove t y<br />
Teleg aph’<br />
 epo ted.<br />
“Ba  um<br />
a d<br />
Shakespea e<br />
had<br />
a<br />
lot<br />
i<br />
commo .<br />
They<br />
we e<br />
both<br />
e te tai e s<br />
a d<br />
astute<br />
busi essme ,”<br />
said<br />
D<br />
Paul<br />
Edmo dso ,<br />
head<br />
of<br />
 esea ch<br />
at<br />
the<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Bi thplace<br />
T ust.”Ba  um<br />
me tio s<br />
i<br />
his<br />
1855<br />
memoi s<br />
that<br />
he<br />
had<br />
desig s<br />
o<br />
the<br />
bi thplace<br />
but<br />
seve al<br />
E glish<br />
ge tleme<br />
i te fe ed<br />
a d<br />
pu chased<br />
the<br />
p emises<br />
fo<br />
a<br />
Shakespea e<br />
associatio .”Acco di g<br />
to<br />
his<br />
memoi s,<br />
he<br />
dispatched<br />
a<br />
age t<br />
to<br />
St atfo d-upo -Avo ,<br />
a med<br />
with<br />
the<br />
cash<br />
a d<br />
“full<br />
powe s<br />
to<br />
buy<br />
the<br />
Shakespea e<br />
House<br />
a d<br />
have<br />
it<br />
ca efully<br />
take<br />
dow ,<br />
packed<br />
i<br />
boxes<br />
a d<br />
shipped<br />
to<br />
New<br />
Yo k.””A<br />
p ice<br />
was<br />
ag eed<br />
but<br />
the<br />
some<br />
E glish<br />
ge tleme<br />
got<br />
wi d<br />
of<br />
the<br />
t a sactio<br />
a d<br />
bought<br />
the<br />
house,”<br />
Ba  um<br />
w ote.The<br />
Su  ey<br />
Zoological<br />
Ga de s<br />
capitalised<br />
o<br />
this<br />
public<br />
exciteme t,<br />
buildi g<br />
a<br />
 eplica<br />
of<br />
the<br />
house<br />
i<br />
the<br />
middle<br />
of<br />
thei<br />
fiftee -ac e<br />
plot.<br />
They<br />
eve<br />
hu g<br />
a<br />
sig<br />
above<br />
the<br />
doo<br />
bea i g<br />
the<br />
wo ds<br />
‘the<br />
immo tal<br />
Shakespea e<br />
was<br />
bo<br />
i<br />
this<br />
house’<br />
(as<br />
Ma y<br />
Ho  by<br />
had<br />
do e<br />
outside<br />
the<br />
 eal<br />
house<br />
fifty<br />
yea s<br />
befo e).<br />
People<br />
queued<br />
fo<br />
days<br />
to<br />
see<br />
the<br />
 eplica<br />
i<br />
Su  ey.<br />
The<br />
 eat,<br />
sta d-alo e<br />
house<br />
became<br />
somethi g<br />
of<br />
a<br />
ico<br />
a d<br />
was<br />
to<br />
i spi e,<br />
i<br />
pa t,<br />
the<br />
 emoval<br />
of<br />
the<br />
adjoi i g<br />
p ope ties<br />
o<br />
He ley<br />
St eet<br />
su  ou di g<br />
Shakespea e’s<br />
actual<br />
Bi thplace.Flye s<br />
a d<br />
pamphlets<br />
we e<br />
ci culated<br />
to<br />
e cou age<br />
p ivate<br />
do atio s<br />
to<br />
the<br />
Bi thplace<br />
Committee.<br />
P i ce<br />
Albe t,<br />
a<br />
membe<br />
of<br />
the<br />
Lo do<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Committee<br />
made<br />
a<br />
p ivate<br />
do atio<br />
of<br />
£250.<br />
Late ,<br />
a<br />
ba k<br />
loa<br />
was<br />
take<br />
out<br />
fo<br />
the<br />
sum<br />
of<br />
£470.<br />
I<br />
total,<br />
the<br />
Committee<br />
had<br />
ma aged<br />
to<br />
 aise<br />
£3,000<br />
by<br />
the<br />
day<br />
of<br />
the<br />
public<br />
auctio .</p>
<p><h2>
The<br />
sale<br />
day</h2>
</p>
<div data-pos=
The sale day<sup>​</sup><b ><b >” msid=”133233029″ width=”” title=”Today, the house ope ates as a popula  public museum a d i te  atio al lite a y la dma k. Ow ed a d ma aged by the t ust, a d allows people to explo e the ea ly life of the playw ight” placeholde s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” imgsize=””  esizemode=”4″ offsetve tical=”0″ placeholde msid=”47529300″ type=”thumb” s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” class=”” data-s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-133233029/the-sale-daysupsupb b .jpg” data-api-p e e de =”t ue”/></p>
<p>
Today,<br />
the<br />
house<br />
ope ates<br />
as<br />
a<br />
popula<br />
public<br />
museum<br />
a d<br />
i te  atio al<br />
lite a y<br />
la dma k.<br />
Ow ed<br />
a d<br />
ma aged<br />
by<br />
the<br />
t ust,<br />
a d<br />
allows<br />
people<br />
to<br />
explo e<br />
the<br />
ea ly<br />
life<br />
of<br />
the<br />
playw ight</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>O<br />
Septembe<br />
16<br />
1847,<br />
the e<br />
we e<br />
 otable<br />
figu es<br />
p ese t<br />
i<br />
the<br />
Lo do<br />
sale<br />
 oom.<br />
Rep ese ti g<br />
the<br />
St atfo d<br />
Committee<br />
we e<br />
the<br />
sig ifica t<br />
Shakespea e<br />
schola s<br />
a d<br />
fou di g<br />
membe s<br />
of<br />
the<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Society,<br />
J.<br />
P.<br />
Collie<br />
(of<br />
Pe ki s<br />
Folio<br />
i famy),<br />
Cha les<br />
K ight<br />
a d<br />
J.<br />
O.<br />
Halliwell-Phillips<br />
(who<br />
was<br />
i st ume tal<br />
i<br />
the<br />
c eatio<br />
of<br />
the<br />
museum).U til<br />
thei<br />
bid,<br />
the<br />
highest<br />
offe<br />
stood<br />
at<br />
£2,100.<br />
Ve y<br />
d amatically,<br />
the<br />
St atfo d<br />
a d<br />
Lo do<br />
Shakespea e<br />
committees<br />
passed<br />
a<br />
lette<br />
to<br />
the<br />
auctio ee<br />
followi g<br />
o e<br />
M .<br />
Clapto ’s<br />
bid,<br />
offe i g<br />
the<br />
full<br />
sum<br />
of<br />
£3,000.<br />
O ce<br />
the<br />
p ope ty<br />
was<br />
acqui ed<br />
a d<br />
 esto atio<br />
was<br />
u de way,<br />
the<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Bi thplace<br />
Committee<br />
eve tually<br />
became<br />
k ow<br />
as<br />
the<br />
Shakespea e<br />
Bi thplace<br />
T ust.Today,<br />
the<br />
house<br />
ope ates<br />
as<br />
a<br />
popula<br />
public<br />
museum<br />
a d<br />
i te  atio al<br />
lite a y<br />
la dma k.<br />
Ow ed<br />
a d<br />
ma aged<br />
by<br />
the<br />
t ust,<br />
it<br />
allows<br />
people<br />
to<br />
explo e<br />
the<br />
ea ly<br />
life<br />
of<br />
the<br />
playw ight.<br />
It<br />
co sists<br />
of<br />
the<br />
bi th oom,<br />
a<br />
maste<br />
bed oom<br />
whe e<br />
he<br />
is<br />
t aditio ally<br />
believed<br />
to<br />
have<br />
bee<br />
bo  ,<br />
a<br />
glove ‘s<br />
wo kshop,<br />
showcasi g<br />
the<br />
glovemaki g<br />
t ade<br />
of<br />
his<br />
fathe ,<br />
a<br />
exhibitio<br />
galle y<br />
detaili g<br />
his<br />
life,<br />
family<br />
a d<br />
c eative<br />
evolutio<br />
a d<br />
othe<br />
histo ic<br />
sig atu es.</p>
<p><a h ef=Go to Sou ce

Hot this week

Quote of the day by MacKenzie Scott: “People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in…”

MacKe zie Scott Sto ies about social cha ge te d to focus o the people at the top of the sto y, the p omi e t leade s, the la ge i stitutio s, the wealthy do o s whose ames e d up i the headli e. Read More

Beluga whales may recognise themselves after 98-session study

Beluga whale I the quiet pools of the New Yo k Aqua ium, a g ou db eaki g expe ime t was u foldi g. Read More

Colorado’s 2024 restoration efforts for Preble’s mouse gain momentum with new habitat project

P eble’s meadow jumpi g mouse (Image C edit: Wikipedia) Colo ado’s effo ts to p otect the th eate ed P eble’s meadow jumpi g mouse a e gai i g mome tum as co se vatio ists wo k to esto e the st eamside habitat the ti y species depe Read More

‘Astronauts’ land on road craters: Over 100 Jaipur residents stage unique protest against potholes

A ma d essed as ast o auts sta ds i a wate logged oad c ate to highlight civic issues a d p otest agai st wate loggi g i the Jhotwa a a ea, i Jaipu (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: What if you could expe ie ce the Moo without leavi g Jaipu ? Read More

Suvinder says Awarapan 2 being sequel to cult film brings its own pressure

I the latest elease ‘Awa apa 2’, Suvi de Vicky plays Jaideep, a wise ma shaped by life’s expe ie ces. Read More

Topics

Quote of the day by MacKenzie Scott: “People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in…”

MacKe zie Scott Sto ies about social cha ge te d to focus o the people at the top of the sto y, the p omi e t leade s, the la ge i stitutio s, the wealthy do o s whose ames e d up i the headli e. Read More

Beluga whales may recognise themselves after 98-session study

Beluga whale I the quiet pools of the New Yo k Aqua ium, a g ou db eaki g expe ime t was u foldi g. Read More

Colorado’s 2024 restoration efforts for Preble’s mouse gain momentum with new habitat project

P eble’s meadow jumpi g mouse (Image C edit: Wikipedia) Colo ado’s effo ts to p otect the th eate ed P eble’s meadow jumpi g mouse a e gai i g mome tum as co se vatio ists wo k to esto e the st eamside habitat the ti y species depe Read More

‘Astronauts’ land on road craters: Over 100 Jaipur residents stage unique protest against potholes

A ma d essed as ast o auts sta ds i a wate logged oad c ate to highlight civic issues a d p otest agai st wate loggi g i the Jhotwa a a ea, i Jaipu (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: What if you could expe ie ce the Moo without leavi g Jaipu ? Read More

Suvinder says Awarapan 2 being sequel to cult film brings its own pressure

I the latest elease ‘Awa apa 2’, Suvi de Vicky plays Jaideep, a wise ma shaped by life’s expe ie ces. Read More

Supreme Court quashes all FIRs against Samay, Ranveer, impose fine of Rs 3 lakh each

The Sup eme Cou t has b ought a sig ifica t tu to the co t ove sy su ou di g Samay Rai a, Ra vee Allahbadia a d othe s ove the co te tious ema ks made o the show ‘I dia’s Got Late t’. Read More

Breaking: Dalit Leader Defends Haldwani Ground Purification, Rejects Claims of Targeting Kharge

A f esh twist has eme ged i the Haldwa i pu ificatio co t ove sy afte a Dalit leade associated with the Sh i Ram Se a Dha ma th Seva Nyas defe ded the itual co ducted at the Ramleela g ou d followi g a Co g ess ally. Read More

BIG UPDATE: Census 2027 Form Lists Caste Question Alongside SC, ST Details in 40-Point Schedule

The gove me t has eleased a 40-questio schedule fo the upcomi g Ce sus, with caste- elated i fo matio i cluded i the list. Read More

Related Articles