What happened after the town fires in Stratford?
In 1594, 1595 and 1614 disastrous town fires were reported in Stratford-on-Avon. All these occurred during Shakespeare's lifetime, and he certainly would have been concerned about the last, when he lived in New Place. Over the past four years we have been examining the timber-framed buildings in the town centre, looking for evidence of fire damage and rebuilding. We have two preliminary conclusions:
- The extent of damage may have been exaggerated to boost claims for compensation;
- Local building practices were changed to reduce the risk of fires spreading. In particular the use of elm instead of oak may have been encouraged because of its resistance to burning.
We are holding a special event on Wednesday 16 September, 11am to 4pm, at Nash's House, 22 Chapel Street, CV37 6EP. It will include talks by experts involved in the project, display of wood samples for dendrochronology, projection of short videos, and guided tours.
StratFire is a four-year collaborative project between the Stratford Society and Historic England.
The HOD venue is a Grade I listed building dating from the mid-1400s. Dating of the timbers shows that the facade was rebuilt in 1617/18. The building is next door to New Place, the grand house purchased by William Shakespeare, and is now owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT). It has periodically been used as a museum and for exhibitions but is at present closed to the public, so this is a rare opportunity to see the interior.
Chapel Street looking north
Chapel Street looking south
