Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Collections

Outstanding collections in the heart of William Shakespeare’s home town.

 

Situated in the home town of William Shakespeare, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon looks after the largest collection of Shakespeare related material in the UK.

Designated as being of international importance our collections include:

A Library Collection of printed materials and books relating to Shakespeare’s works life and times, including translations of the plays into 80 languages. Within our library collection we look after three First Folios and a range of important early printed books, which inspired Shakespeare’s genius.

A Local History Archive Collection of material relating to Stratford-upon-Avon and South Warwickshire, with records as far back as the twelfth century, and a number of handwritten documents referring to William Shakespeare from his own lifetime.

Our Museum Collection of over 11,000 objects, which give an insight into the material world that Shakespeare and his family would have experienced, and a record of how his life and works have inspired both art and tourism over the past few centuries.

Since 1964 we have also cared for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Archive of photographs, programmes, designs and production records covering the history of the RSC and its predecessor, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, from 1879 to the present.

 

Accessing our Collections Online

To access our collections online you can take a look at our Treasures web pages, which introduce some of our most celebrated items.

To delve deeper you can look at the whole span of our collections from our Online Catalogues pages.

For blog-posts, videos and different series of articles from our dedicated Collections team check out our blog at Finding Shakespeare.

Download the Eye Shakespeare app, an innovative, free application available for iPhone and iPad users. The app showcases our treasures in a unique street to Shakespeare's Stratford.

Visiting our Collections

To see collections here in Stratford-upon-Avon you can visit our Reading Room to view books and documents, or visit the five Shakespeare properties to see artwork, furniture and smaller objects from Shakespeare’s world on display in the houses, gardens and in special exhibitions.