Upon entering Soulton Hall via the Wren steps, a plaque greets visitors with the inscription:
Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile,
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
…
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
…
And this our life exempt from public haunt
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones and good in every thing.
I would not change it.
- William Shakespeare, ‘As You Like It’. Act II Scene I. The Forest of Arden.
It is believed that affairs of state that took place at Soulton in the time of Sir Rowland Hill, in the sixteenth century, inspired Shakespeare to write this play and shaped several others.
The inscription at that entrance speaks of a time shrouded in mystery – the 16th century, when Sir Rowland Hill resided here, when Soulton Hall had a role in safeguarding not just artifacts and even lives.
The AS YOU LIKE IT plaque in Soulton Hall
Soulton Hall served as a discreet repository during a tumultuous period. Religious texts, State Papers and other artifacts found refuge within these walls, protected from the turmoil of the Reformation.
As You Like It is a clever play that does a lot of things, but it is clearly a moumnent to this work done here.
