Following a completely sold-out summer season through August, we are delighted to announce the release of our next block of heritage access dates at Soulton Hall.
Run in proud partnership with the Historic Houses Association, these upcoming autumn and winter dates offer another opportunity to experience the deep, coded history of the hall firsthand.
[Click here for the ticket link]
These events have become ever-popular, serving as an important piece of civic engagement and public tradition by keeping our shared history active, vital, and accessible.
“Sermons in Stones” – The Soulton Hall Guide Book
A Vital Civic Tradition & The Garnet Code
At Soulton Hall, we believe that heritage is a shared civic responsibility.
These access tours represent a vital connection between the past and our modern community, keeping our national story visible rather than hidden away behind closed doors.
Constructed during a perilous 16th-century emergency by the polymath Sir Rowland Hill—who served on the Privy Councils of four Tudor monarchs—the house is designed to convey information by incorporating references to classical studies, scripture, and mathematics.
For the Tudor mind, steeped in Neoplatonic philosophy, the visible world was an imperfect reflection of a more perfect, true reality—the realm of Forms.
Sir Rowland designed Soulton Hall as a physical model to unlock his “thinking technology,” using specific architectural proportions to guide the mind toward idealized concepts of harmony and our current reality.
Central to this design is the Garnet Code.
This image depicts a scholarly reconstruction of Soulton Hall, highlighting its architectural elements inspired by the ancient theater of Epidaurus. The yellow lines trace these features, revealing the Rowland Hill’s homage to the renowned Greek structure.
Sir Rowland held a deep interest in the mathematical and social allegories of the rhombic dodecahedron (a twelve-sided geometry found naturally in garnets). This shape can perfectly fill three-dimensional space, fitting together seamlessly if its components are carefully arranged—serving as a powerful architectural metaphor for a harmonious society where everyone finds their place.
Visitors will see this geometry visibly projected across the estate, from the layout of the windows to the lines of the towers.
Hiding, Harmony, and the Shakespeare Connection
Soulton Hall served as a clandestine stronghold where Sir Rowland used his unique political position to safeguard precious documents and cultural works from destruction.
The estate features a historic priest’s hide in the studio—potentially the oldest in the country—which was remarkably used to conceal individuals during the fierce persecutions under Mary I.
This history of a dangerous, liminal retreat directly ignited the creative spark of Sir Rowland’s cousin, William Shakespeare. Soulton was the home of the Lodge family before passing to Hill, directly tying the estate to Thomas Lodge’s Rosalynde (1590), the source text for As You Like It.
Soulton Hall, home of AS YOU LIKE IT. Image Soulton Hall and Shropshire Youth Theatre
When writing his famous comedy, Shakespeare honors this connection by changing the name of the virtuous senior character to “Old Sir Rowland”. Just outside the window, visitors can view the beautiful Dancing Pavement, a pebble mosaic reproducing the choreographic notation for the harmonious dance that concludes the play, symbolizing the recovery of order.
Unlocking the Architectural Callbacks
Sir Rowland Hill expected his intellectually curious visitors to decode the deliberate visual markers embedded within the estate. These include:
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The Classical Theatre of Epidaurus: The surviving tower-like projections and the Epidaurus Court subtly echo the perfect geometry and acoustics of ancient Greek theatre, inviting guests to contemplate ideal civic order and harmonious community.
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Solomon’s Temple: The east and west fronts of the house are deliberately designed to evoke scriptural descriptions of Solomon’s Temple, symbolizing wisdom and divine order.
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The Telesterion at Eleusis: Reflecting the sacred proportions of ancient mysteries, Soulton Hall is built as a 55-foot cube within a precinct composed of nine equal squares, precisely mirroring the 55-yard footprint of the sanctuary at Eleusis. This connection extends to Sir Rowland’s surviving estate furniture, which features direct copies of the Eleusinian frieze.
What the Tour Includes
Your ticket offers an intimate audience with 470 years of history, guiding you through:
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The Prayer Room, containing a miraculous surviving Rithmomachia Floor based on the ancient “Philosophers’ Game”.
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The Ædicule, a structurally fascinating room bearing a massive symbolic load upon twelve original joists, precision-aligned with the rising sun at Easter.
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The First Gallery, featuring original 16th-century stairs and fascinating light alignment effects.
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The Chess Court and Wren Steps.
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Ticket Price: £25 per person (includes tea and cake).
Spaces are highly limited due to the total sell-out of our earlier dates.
Advanced reservation is necessary.
How to Reserve Your Tickets
Given how quickly the summer tours filled up, early booking is strongly recommended.
To secure your place on one of our upcoming autumn or winter dates, please visit the online Ticket Tailor booking portal or contact the estate office directly.
We look forward to welcoming you to Soulton Hall to help us read these fascinating “sermons in stones” once more.
Tour Dates and Arrival Times
The newly released sessions will take place on the first Sunday of each month. While the tours are adaptive to our guests rather than running to a rigid, strict timer, we ask visitors to allow approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to fully enjoy the experience:
- Sunday, 2 August 2026 | 2:00 PM
- Sunday, 6 September 2026 | 2:00 PM
- Sunday, 4 October 2026 | 2:00 PM
- Sunday, 1 November 2026 | 2:00 PM
- Sunday, 6 December 2026 | 2:00 PM
Accessibility Information
We want all guests to be fully prepared for their visit. Because Soulton Hall is a highly complex historic structure, it presents several physical access challenges:
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Main Floor: Accessed via the Wren Steps (seven shallow steps in the gravelled chess court). Once inside, there are three tour rooms on this principal floor.
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Facilities: Access to the WCs inside the hall is up an additional three steps.
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Basement & Gallery: The basement rooms (including the Prayer Room and Ædicule) are accessed down 13 stairs, while the first gallery is accessed up a flight of 19 stairs.
