Secrets of Soulton: Tudor Codes, Shakespeare Connections, and Heritage Tour

Uncover Tudor codes, hidden chapels, and Shakespearean connections on a guided tour of Soulton Hall. Tea and cake included!

“…I like this place. And could willingly waste my time in it.”

– ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’, William Shakespeare

Tom Holland described Soulton Hall as “one of the most amazing houses you will find anywhere in England” and an “amazing ongoing process of discovery” in a podcast dedicated soley to the codes and mysteries of this Tudor puzzle box.

Epidaurus Court, Soulton Hall, with the Fereatry Sculpture protecting the Erkenwald site of memory

On this tour, you will uncover the secrets inside Soulton Hall, a historic Shropshire estate built by ‘Old’ Sir Rowland Hill, the Tudor cyhper figure who inspired the hero of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

This is the place where memory holds that the relics of Saint Erkenwald and the lost altar of Old Saint Paul’s found refuge, where they survived the tumult of the Reformation and the destruction of the English Renaissance.

Sir Rowland was a key figure of the era, helping lay the groundwork for the Elizabethan Golden Age while serving on the Privy Councils of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He used Soulton Hall as a base for his most daring act: printing the Geneva Bible, a revolutionary and dangerous translation of the time.

The house also offered sanctuary to people facing persecution and kept scholarly materials safe.

The famous Soulton Dancing Pavement – linked to the dance of harmony for 8 that closes the play

The architecture itself preserves history through a complex code recording early opposition to turmoil, including details honoring Erkenwald, the medieval patron of London.

Hidden elements throughout the design show how carefully people protected matters of conscience.

These include a concealed chapel space, a prayer room and altar-niche sharing a window for the office of Tenebrae, and a priest’s hide in the studiolo—potentially the oldest in England and designed for Protestants, making the work extremely dangerous.

The St Paul altar at Soulton

This layout protected cultural treasures and texts from destruction during periods of iconoclasm.

Sir Rowland’s contacts and interests also reached the arts, helping inspire William Shakespeare, who was his cousin through Mary Arden. The setting and hidden life at Soulton Hall shaped the comedy As You Like It. Soulton was also the family home of the Lodge family before 1556, linking the property to Thomas Lodge and his source book, Rosalynde (1590).

What the Tour Includes

• The concealed chapel
• Priest’s hide
• Renaissance codes in the architecture
• The chess court and Wren Steps
• The As You Like It dancing pavement
• The Rowland Hill furniture
• Tea and cake

Tudor Prayer Room in Soulton Hall

Access Information

The Soulton Hall building presents some access challenges:

• The main floor is reached via the Wren steps (seven shallow steps in a gravelled chess court).
• Once inside Soulton Hall, there are three tour rooms on the principal floor, and the WCs require three more steps up.
• Basement rooms are reached down 13 stairs.
• Additional rooms, including the first gallery, require a flight of 19 stairs.
• Step-free access is available to outdoor spaces, an accessible WC, and a meeting room on the ground floor of Soulton Court. The historic Moot Hall in that building is up 16 stairs.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel more than two weeks before the tour, you receive a full refund minus any Eventbrite booking fees. If you cancel less than 14 days before the tour, refunds are only available if the ticket can be resold. If we cancel the tour at any time, you receive a full refund. We cannot cover consequential losses such as travel or accommodation if a tour has to be called off at short notice due to circumstances beyond our control.