{"id":46804,"date":"2026-05-22T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=46804"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:29:21","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-risky-doorstep-shakespeare-birthplace-trust-places-halls-croft-on-hes-at-risk-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=46804","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the (risky) doorstep\u2019: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust places Hall\u2019s Croft on HE\u2019s at Risk Register"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/6\/6e\/Halls_Croft%2C_Stratford-upon-Avon3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/6\/6e\/Halls_Croft%2C_Stratford-upon-Avon3.jpg?_=20080425133759\" alt=\"File:Halls Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon3.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-gray-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-8a1d2e8d3aa5610ed6c810f5bedf1255\"><em>image for illustration:<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Halls_Croft,_Stratford-upon-Avon3.jpg\">Kev747 CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) has confirmed that Hall\u2019s Croft, the Grade I listed home of Shakespeare\u2019s daughter Susanna and her husband Dr John Hall, has been placed on Historic England\u2019s Heritage at Risk Register<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shakespeare Birthplace Trust places Hall\u2019s Croft on Historic England\u2019s Heritage at Risk Register.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The move signals The Trust\u2019s long-term commitment to the conservation challenge of caring for the Grade I listed building.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hall\u2019s Croft is one of the most important historic buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon, rooted in the place where Shakespeare\u2019s story began and where his family life continued.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find out more about Hall\u2019s Croft and its significance <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shakespeare.org.uk\/explore-shakespeare\/shakespedia\/halls-croft\/\">here<\/a>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) has confirmed that Hall\u2019s Croft, the Grade I listed home of Shakespeare\u2019s daughter Susanna and her husband Dr John Hall, has been placed on Historic England\u2019s Heritage at Risk Register. This important step reflects both the national significance of the building and the scale of the conservation challenge it now faces. It also signals a renewed focus on the Trust\u2019s role as a careful and active custodian of Shakespeare\u2019s heritage\u2014caring for it in the present while shaping how it is understood and experienced in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hall\u2019s Croft is one of the most important historic buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon, rooted in the place where Shakespeare\u2019s story began and where his family life continued. It forms a vital part of a wider inheritance that connects Stratford to a global community drawn to Shakespeare\u2019s life, times, and enduring influence. The Trust is currently undertaking an initial programme of conservation work to stabilise the building and remove temporary steel supports installed in 2012. This phase of work, due for completion in October 2026, is largely funded by a \u00a31 million donation from the playwright and philanthropist Ken Ludwig, alongside additional support, although a funding shortfall remains. Once this stabilisation phase is complete, the Trust will move to develop a much larger, comprehensive, multi-year conservation programme. This next phase will include major work to the building\u2019s fa\u00e7ades, replacement of the roof, and significant intervention to the interior\u2014ensuring the building can once again welcome visitors and play its full role within Stratford\u2019s living historic landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The full programme is expected to cost between \u00a38 million and \u00a310 million and will only be achievable through substantial external funding from institutional funders, philanthropists, and partners. Placing Hall\u2019s Croft on the Heritage at Risk Register is therefore both a recognition of urgency and a clear statement of intent. It brings into focus the scale of investment required, while strengthening the Trust\u2019s ability to work with others to secure the building\u2019s future. More broadly, it reflects a commitment to uncover, care for, and share the rich and varied history of Stratford-upon-Avon\u2014ensuring that these places remain not only preserved, but meaningful, relevant, and open to all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rachael North, Chief Executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said: \u2018Hall\u2019s Croft is a building of exceptional historical importance, and its condition demands a serious and sustained response. Inclusion on the Heritage at Risk Register is an important and necessary step. It allows us to be transparent about the challenges we face and to begin building the partnerships required to secure the building\u2019s future. We take seriously our responsibility to care for this inheritance, so that it can continue to inspire curiosity, connection and understanding for generations to come.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deborah Williams, Historic England Regional Director (Midlands) said: \u2018Hall&#8217;s Croft is an internationally significant building and adding it to the Heritage at Risk Register is a positive first step in helping bring the building back into use. I know that Shakespeare Birthplace Trust take their role as custodians of this shared history very seriously and they understand that being added to the At Risk Register is the first step on the journey to be removed from it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will now begin detailed planning for the next phase of the Hall\u2019s Croft conservation programme and will work closely with funders, partners, and stakeholders to secure the investment required to complete this vital work. Find out more about Hall\u2019s Croft, its history and importance, and the conservation that has taken place to-date, including the ongoing conservation of the interior of the building: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/Read more about Hall's Croft here\">More about Hall&#8217;s Croft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shakespeare.org.uk\/about-us\/news-media\/press-releases\/shakespeare-birthplace-trust-places-halls-croft-on-historic-englands-heritage-at-risk-register\/\">Read more here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>image for illustration:Kev747 CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) has confirmed that Hall\u2019s Croft, the Grade I listed home of Shakespeare\u2019s daughter Susanna and her husband Dr John Hall, has been placed on Historic England\u2019s &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=46804\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,855],"class_list":["post-46804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog","tag-heritage","tag-shakespeare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46804"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46828,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46804\/revisions\/46828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}