Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Treasures

The Collections of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust are full of treasures - they can be important, beautiful, tantalising, sometimes unique or very rare. They are all fascinating in different ways - explore some of our best treasures below.

If you want to explore the wider collections please visit our Catalogues.

Search treasures by

Type Search by type

• Search by type

Keyword search

• The First Folio

  ---

  The book that saved half of Shakespeare's plays

  

• The Quiney letter

  ---

  The only surviving letter written to William Shakespeare

  

• Photograph of John Thaw as Cardinal Wolesley

  ---

  The actor John Thaw as Cardinal Wolsey in Shakespeare's Henry VIII

  

• David Garrick's Mulberry Wood Medallion

  ---

  A medallion presented to David Garrick to commemorate the event which put Stratford-upon-Avon on the map

  

• Shakespeare's gold signet ring?

  ---

  A gold signet ring found near Holy Trinity Church with the initials 'W.S.

  

• Plutarch's Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans

  ---

  One of Shakespeare's major sources with a fascinating history

  

• Map collected by Captain James Saunders

  ---

  Map collected by Captain James Saunders - Stratford antiquarian and military man

  

• The Courting Chair

  ---

  Did Shakespeare court Anne Hathaway on this chair

  

• John Gerard’s The Herball, or generall historie of plantes

  ---

  Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight - Gerard's Herbal

  

• Settlement Records

  ---

  Was your ancestor among the wandering poor of late 17th century Stratford-upon-Avon