Hall's Croft Conservation Work Continues Apace
Communing with the timbers that listened to William Shakespeare
I’m proud to be the ambassador for the campaign to save Hall’s Croft. William Shakespeare bought this beautiful home in 1613 for his daughter, Susanna, and her husband Dr. John Hall. It’s one of the few properties in Stratford-Upon-Avon where we know Shakespeare himself once walked. I only wish these timbers could speak. They heard Shakespeare’s voice. What stories they could tell.
Hall’s Croft with the ahistorical and damaging cement panels removed
When I visited Stratford in the Autumn of 2025, the urgent conservation work to keep Hall’s Croft standing had already begun with the removal of cement panels that had been added to the building in the 20th century in lieu of the proper wattle and daub. In addition to damaging the timber (cement in a 17th-century building—forsooth!), the weight of the cement was literally pulling the building down.
The rear of Hall’s Croft enclosed in scaffolding
I returned in May to see that the rear of the building is now scaffolded and covered so a team of specialists can address structural issues with the timber due to age, insects, and 400 years of usage. The scaffolding means that the temporary struts that have been holding the rear of the building up can finally be removed.
Helping to remove the final temporary support strut
The struts were an emergency intervention in the early 2000s meant to last only five years or so, but without the funding to begin the major conservation work Hall’s Croft needed, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust had been forced to keep them in place for much longer. It was an honor to help remove the last temporary strut, which my donation to the Trust has finally made unnecessary.
Listening to the experts explaining their conservation work
One of the highlights of my hard hat tour was watching the expert team work on the precious timbers with such care and devotion to preserving as much of the original material as possible. I watched them work for at least half an hour on a single mortise and tenon joint all while explaining to me how seventeenth-century carpentry—like mortise and tenon joints—work.
This project is dear to me and I’m glad it’s in such safe hands.
While Hall’s Croft is currently safe, the SBT needs considerable help to fund the next phases of this conservation work. You can help with a tax-deductible donation to Shakespeare Birthplace America. Every amount helps.