The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

The 6 March 2026 is the 100th anniversary of the fire which gutted the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.

This original theatre opened in 1879. Here almost 150 years later theatre goers can still see Shakespeare’s plays performed in the town near where he was born. Despite the fire, parts of the original Victorian Gothic theatre can still be seen; however, theatre visitors entering the building today will see an evolved third-generation building.

Interest in building a Shakespeare memorial theatre in Stratford grew after the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth in 1864. Local brewery owners Edward Flower and his son Charles were influential in the campaign, and they made a significant financial donation. London critics were sceptical about the need for such a theatre, however, it was built and opened on 19 April 1879. This was not the first Shakespeare theatre in Stratford; there had been an earlier one located in the garden of New Place; the property William Shakespeare had bought in 1597. This earlier theatre opened in 1830 but was short-lived. By the mid-1840s it had closed and was demolished some years later. The portico of this theatre survived and today can be seen on Bridge Street; it forms part of the entrance to the town’s Marks and Spencer’s store.

In 1879, the first play performed in the newly opened Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ with sixty-seven-year-old Helen Faucit playing Beatrice. After initial success the theatre’s doors remained closed for much of the time, apart from a week-long annual festival celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday. Perhaps proving those sceptical London critics right.

Though in 1885 things changed when American actress, Mary Anderson, played Rosalind in ‘As You Like It’. This proved a great success and put the theatre back on the map. Mary Anderson waived her fee and money raised from the production was used to pay for two of the three terracotta panels which can still be seen above the original entrance. The three panels depict a Tragedy (Hamlet), a Comedy (As You Like It) and a History (King John).

Sadly, on 6 March 1926 fire broke out in the theatre, which gutted the building. Architects were invited to submit their designs for a revamped theatre. The winning design was by Elisabeth Scott, a member of the Scott family of architects, and cousin of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. This was historic, making the theatre the first significant building in the country to be designed by a woman.

The new theatre opened in 1932. The Art Deco design did have critics, George Bernard Shaw said it looked like a ‘fort on the Nile’, while locals in Stratford nicknamed it the ‘jam factory’. It was renamed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961, a year after the founding of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The third generation theatre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 2011 after it had undergone a £112.5 million redevelopment. Within the existing Victorian Gothic and Art Deco building there are now two theatres, the RSC Theatre and smaller Swan Theatre. The work included installing thrust stages, these enable audiences to sit closer to the stage, with seating on three sides. The theatres also have galleries, inspired by galleried inns where Tudor theatre companies may have played. In the larger RSC theatre, the furthest seat from the stage is 15 metres, reduced from 27 metres in Scott’s theatre. The recent redevelopment of the theatre also included a 36-metre-high Observation Tower which proved controversial. It is worth climbing the tower which provides fine views over Stratford and the River Avon.

A personal memory of the RSC theatre for me is that I saw the play Richard III on the day Queen Elizabeth II died. Her death was publicly announced just minutes before the start of the play. Greg Doran, the then Artistic Director, announced her death from the stage and proclaimed “The Queen is dead! Long live the King!” Quite a memorable moment.

 

About the Author

Phil Halling is Heart of England Blue Badge Guide. Born in Gloucestershire, Philip grew up on a working farm in the north of the county. He has worked in the photographic industry and as a tutor in further education. After early retirement, he retrained as a Blue Badge Tourist Guide and now enjoys sharing his knowledge gained through his years of exploring the region. Although widely travelled around the world, he has lived in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire all his life. For more information about Philip and his work please click here