The reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London stands as a unique architectural achievement.
The modern Globe Theatre in London: this project took timber from Soulton Wood in the 1990s
Completed in 1996, the project aimed to meticulously recreate the original open-air playhouse from the late 16th century.
This endeavor, however, was not simply a matter of replicating a building style. It involved a fascinating interplay between historical accuracy and modern safety considerations. The construction process drew heavily on Elizabethan techniques. Skilled craftsmen used green oak timbers, meticulously shaped by hand, to create the theatre’s framework.
The 1990s saw an intriguing physical connection emerge between Shropshire’s Soulton Wood and the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London.
During this period, the Venables Brothers of Market Drayton, along with the Aston family, were involved in an important phase of management of Soulton Wood. This timing of the Globe’s reconstruction aligned with Soulton Wood’s natural harvest cycle, and presented a unique opportunity: and in this way some of the timbers harvested from Soulton Wood found their way into the Globe’s construction.
Shakespeare Quote on a sign in the AS YOU LIKE IT wood at Soulton: 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.
Years later, the As You Like It private traditon that Soulton Wood was the As You Like It wood would be foregrounded publicly for the first time, with the help of scholars and new learning perspectives.
Shakespeare’s Globe after a phenomenal 2023 performance of “As You Like It,
