In 1594, 1595 and 1614 disastrous town fires were reported in Stratford-on-Avon. All these were during Shakespeare's lifetime, and he certainly would have been concerned about the last, as 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 20 Chapel Street, CV37 6EP. It will include two 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.