Detail of Warwickshire map by John Cary, 1806  

Conserving Hall's Croft: an update

Rachael North

Monday 16 February, 6.00 pm - White Swan
This month, Rachael North,  is going to talk about the restoration of Hall’s Croft, a property particularly loved by local people and currently undergoing major restoration and conservation work. This long-term project aims to safeguard the Grade I listed home of Susanna (one of Shakespeare’s two daughters) and her husband, physician Dr John Hall, for future generations.

Rachael North is CEO of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. As CEO, she is responsible for leading a team of staff and volunteers to deliver the charity’s mission and strategic vision.

On appointment to the role she said, ‘It's a genuine privilege to assume the role of permanent CEO for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the museum of Shakespeare based in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's relentless examination of every human emotion and experience is as resonant now as it ever was, and the Trust plays an important role in bringing people together in an active and contemporary conversation about Shakespeare.’

Report on the Talk

Hall’s Croft is a uniquely interesting building, and there is a team of archaeologists and designers working on its conservation. Renovation is not the aim. It is the largest such project undertaken by the SBT. Grants and donations have made it possible, particularly thanks to the American playwright, Ken Ludwig, who donated £1m.

The first part of the building was built in 1613 and it was extended thereafter until it looked like it does today. It is Grade 1 listed. Its first occupants were William Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband Dr. John Hall, followed by a number of others. It was purchased by the SBT in 1949 for £11,000, and it opened to visitors in 1951. This was the year of the Festival of Britain, a showcase for British culture and innovation, and it was close to the foundation of the NHS in 1948, which tied in with the occupation of its first residents.

It was subjected to a number of inappropriate repairs in the 1950s, for example, cement and American Red Oak. Cement does not expand in the way that the original lime did, and the wood was also not suitable, but there was a shortage of materials after the Second World War. Levi Fox’s son remembers seeing it and has some interesting tales to tell! In 2012 steel struts were installed at the rear to prop up the jetty, but they too do not sit well with wooden beams. They are tied up in the attic with wires and were a temporary solution and they have kept the building upright, but they too must be replaced. When the car reversed into the front in 2025, it was the steel struts that stopped the building from falling down.

Most of these materials have to be removed. The cement traps moisture so will be replaced with traditional lime to create modern lathe and plaster panels. There is also some metal mesh to be removed. Decayed timber will be replaced with modern oak timber. Unfortunately, asbestos, in limited zones, was also revealed, which has set back the other work. The plan was to build scaffolding with viewing platforms for visitors, but this has had to be redesigned to cope with new safety rules. The asbestos has nearly gone, and it is hoped to have some visitors soon. Building consent is still required to deal with the roof.

During the removal of these materials, a Gantt Chart from the past was revealed.  This is a timeline, showing the amount of work done according to the planned timetable, so it is a useful guide to the earlier repairs that were done.

Phase 1 involves the rear elevations and the garden, 2024-2026. This involves removal of 32 tons of concrete panels, and their replacement with insulated lime panels; 396 replacement timbers, structural needles and scaffold towers, and removal of the 2012 steel props. The house now looks rather skeletal!

It is also important to recruit new young people, as the majority of the specialist technical team are close to retirement.

As most people know, in October 2025, a vehicle backed into the corner of the building! The good news is that it went between the structural posts and not into the window bay. The building moved 62”, but is largely intact. Fragments have been collected to go back in if possible. Secondly, the car driver’s insurance will pay for repairs, but it will not be enough to fix the whole elevation and extra funds must be raised. 

Phase 2 has been brought forward due to the accident as the front façade needs urgent attention.

Phase 3 will tackle the South East elevation.

Phase 4 will be roof repairs.

Phase 5 will deal with long term timbers to stabilise the interior.

The SBT wants to open Hall’s Croft to visitors as soon as possible, starting with the garden, and the house exterior, and this will be while the work is going on.

A 3D model has been developed which is available to view on the SBT website. The entire building has been mapped and photographed.

The Future:

  • Hall’s Croft will be a living piece of Shakespeare’s story
  • It will tell Susanna Hall’s own story
  • Conservation is stewardship
  • It will protect truth – it is conservation not reconstruction
  • It will safeguard 400 years of history

Paul Edmondson stepped in at this point and stressed that John Hall is significant in Stratford’s historical records.

There are also many artefacts, and Susanna played a large but mainly hidden part in her husband’s work. The University of Brighton has recreated the Physic Garden. Students have always used Hall’s Croft, the café area now being the teaching room. PhD students are also working on the SBT’s curatorial history. It was always intended for community use. It needs to have its rightful place in the history of medicine. We also need to capture its recent history from those who remember it as it was.

The presentation finished with a video featuring the playwright, Ken Ludwig. He has written a book about using Shakespeare in teaching. Shakespeare is still important for the English language and for culture. Ludwig was inspired when he visited Hall’s Croft and is now an honorary member of the council and visits Stratford often. Apart from his generous gift, he is publicising in America the need for funding as $620,000 is needed. There have also been donations from local people since the car accident.

Rachael said that tours are planned of Hall’s Croft for Shakespeare’s birthday.

Below are some answers to questions asked on the night. 

Question about death watch beetle

The building as a whole has a variety of beetle infestations, in part due to the cement panels locking moisture into the frame, coupled with the inability to use any form of chemical control.

The building has had some death watch beetle infestation in the American Red Oak that comprises much of the historic kitchen frame. This was largely rebuilt using this material between 1948 and 1951.

Question about the age of timbers

We ran a dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) survey, with most of the timber for the first two units of the house being felled in 1612 and 1613. Timber was usually felled in the winter months, ready for building work to commence in the following spring, so the first two units of the house would have been built in the spring seasons of 1613 (Unit I) and 1614 (Unit II).

Timber for the historic kitchen was felled in the winter of 1630, with this part of the building likely built during the summer of 1631.

One or two random timbers in the roof space were a little older, but then they were probably reused from another structure.

Question about whether the building is sinking

The answer to the last question is a matter of perspective to some extent. The building itself, as a complete structure, does not appear to be sinking.

Parts of the structure, particularly on the first and second floors, are settling lower into the ground floor frame than the original design allowed for. This was evident for example when some of the rear jetty beams effectively snapped under  load. Parts of the roof structure have also settled further into the lower parts of the building over time.

Report by Helen Elliott, Publicity Officer