Annual Report 2012

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust © 2013Registered Charity Number 209302

“The sessions were very well organised with stimulating activities. Every aspect was valuable and I would recommend the whole trip. One child told me this was his ‘best day ever at school’. ”Finham Primary School

Annual Report2012

1 | Annual Report 2012

We expected 2012 to be an exceptional year and so it proved.

The success of the World Shakespeare Festival (WSF) led by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) confirmed

the enormous enduring popularity of Shakespeare’s work around the globe. We learnt that half of the world’s schoolchildren study Shakespeare in school and that 65% of countries have Shakespeare as a named author on the curriculum. In Stratford-upon-Avon we mounted the Shakespeare’s Stories exhibition at three sites in conjunction with the RSC and the British Museum, and we lent key items, including the First Folio to the British Museum for the Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition with 103,944 visitors attending the exhibition. We also led a project to document the entire WSF in conjunction with the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham which can be viewed at www.yearofshakespeare.com; a book of the project A Year of Shakespeare: Re-living the World Shakespeare Festival will be published in 2013.

It was a good year for promoting the appreciation of Shakespeare worldwide, one of our core objectives as a charity, but a difficult year for international and domestic tourism. The Trust showed great resilience in achieving our budget for visitors in 2012, resulting in 762,046 visits to the Shakespeare Houses & Gardens. As we had anticipated, the London Olympics had a negative impact on our visitor numbers in July and August, usually our busiest months. This was compounded by the wettest year on record which kept visitors away and spoilt many events. The profile of our visitors changed, with more coming in groups at discounted rates, resulting in a drop in income.

The extended gift shop at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, incorporating the Shakespeare Bookshop, had a tremendous first year increasing sales by 5.4% over 2011. However, our new catering outlets failed to meet their ambitious sales targets, resulting in a disappointing trading result overall. Following a review, new catering arrangements will be put in place for the main 2013 trading season.

We rely almost entirely on income from tourism to fund our work, but the Trust is much more than a tourism business. We have a duty in perpetuity to conserve and provide access to the Shakespeare Houses and Collections, and to promote the enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare’s works in every part of the world. During 2012 we have increased investment in learning and research programmes to improve access to and interpretation of our collections, knowledge and resources for people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of interest.

More than 26,000 people of all ages took part in our formal and leisure learning activities, an increase of 47% on 2011. The majority of this growth came from participation in heritage learning activities, especially at the Dig for Shakespeare. The Trust developed a new strategy for lifelong learning and participation to build on its successful programme of formal and informal educational opportunities to engage with Shakespeare. These will include Shakespeare Week, a new national campaign launching in April 2013, which aims to give every primary school child in Britain the chance to be inspired by Shakespeare’s stories, language and heritage.

Our strength and continuing growth as an organisation relies on the goodwill, creativity and support of many people, including our own staff, volunteers, Trustees and Honorary Fellows and also our many partner organisations and funders. I am delighted that we received a ‘Ones to Watch’ award in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies survey showing our commitment to being a great organisation in which to work.

I would like thank everyone who has contributed to the on-going success of the Trust.

Peter Kyle, OBEChairman, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

From the Chairman

Top: A Chinese Dragon delights crowds in front of the Birthplace at the 2012 Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations. The Trust now has a presence in China’s restricted digital space through a shared web site developed in partnership through the Tang Xianzu – Shakespeare Culture Exchanges.

The Trust really is an extraordinary body with a very tangible responsibility to preserve Shakespeare’s physical and material legacy in perpetuity, and a less

tangible duty to share that legacy with everyone, wherever they are in the world.

As an independent charity which does not receive any direct revenue funding, everything we do must inspire and connect people with Shakespeare, and crucially, ensure that we can continue to do so for all time.

During 2012 we undertook extensive and essential conservation works, with major investments in Hall’s Croft and Hornby Cottage (home to the extended gift shop). Due to a change in accounting policy, costs associated with conservation and repair of our historic houses are now written off in the year that they are incurred. This means that our operations results showed a deficit in the year, although our underlying performance remained strong.

We helped to initiate a new Destination Management Organisation, to boost the profile of Stratford-upon-Avon as a global destination. Shakespeare and the Trust are of course at the heart of what makes our town special, and an independent assessment showed that the Trust contributes more than £40m annually to the regional economy. The Life, Love and Legacy exhibition at Shakespeare’s Birthplace was refreshed with the audio visual presentation and guidebooks now available in eight languages. Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Nash’s House and New Place were awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence.

We introduced new events and programming with the aim of bringing new audiences to Shakespeare. We were thrilled that Sir Kenneth Branagh agreed to be patron of our first Shakespeare Film Festival and our new Shakespeare Short Film competition, which is already attracting high calibre

entries from around the world. The first garden-related festival at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage took place with the support of local community groups and charities, laying the foundations for more community and garden projects from 2013. The Theatre in the Garden season at Hall’s Croft, the introduction of Poetry Sunday to our long running annual Poetry Festival, celebrations for Shakespeare’s Birthday, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Torch all created a vibrant atmosphere for everyone in Stratford.

Increased investment in developing partnerships has resulted in two significant grants from Arts Council England which will enable us to increase access to our internationally important and Designated collections. Two projects will pave the way for the creation of the world’s most important single Shakespeare Collection, located in Shakespeare’s home town.

Two grant awards enabled us to extend our educational work with schools. We received our first award from the Collette Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Collette Vacations, enabling primary schools in areas of high deprivation to attend our award-winning living history courses. A grant from the Clore Duffield Foundation’s Clore Poetry and Literature Awards enabled a year-long project of workshops held in school and at Shakespeare’s Birthplace involving 180 children from six secondary schools which have not previously visited the Trust.

I would like to thank all our visitors, friends, partners, donors and volunteers. Your support is vital to the work of the Trust. We are a charity which receives no direct public funding, and we are extremely grateful for everything you do to enable us to care for Shakespeare’s legacy here in Stratford and to promote the enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare’s works, life and times all over the world.

Dr Diana OwenDirector, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Annual Report 2012 | 2

From the Director

Top: Lady Cobham, Chairman, Visit England with Director Diana Owen during her tour of Shakespeare’s Birthplace in February. Lady Cobham said, “Shakespeare is one of our true British ‘Greats’ and his enduring legacy is one of the key reasons that Stratford-upon-Avon is such an iconic destination.” Photo credit: John James/Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Highlights of 2012


JanuaryEssential conservation work was carried out to stabilise Hall’s Croft, which remained open throughout with special tours that proved popular with visitors.

FebruaryA Tudor feast at Mary Arden’s Farm inspired two Michelin-starred chefs to create Shakespeare themed banquets at the London Hilton Galvin’s restaurant. Our resident acting troupe Shakespeare Aloud! performed at the banquets.

MarchA Time Team special on Channel 4 about the Dig for Shakespeare at New Place provided the perfect curtain raiser for the third season of the popular archaeology project.

SeptemberMore than 100 people took the opportunity to tour the ‘stacks’ in the vaults of our archives on Heritage Open Day.

JulyThe Olympic Torch journey through Stratford created a vibrant atmosphere for crowds of well wishers. Oliver West from Essex, winner of our first S Factor competition, led the fun at Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

AugustOnline shopping went live on the Trust’s website. Shakespeare Duck is among the best sellers to shoppers around the world.

Angus M

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Royal Shakespeare C

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April The Ningbo Fenghua High School came to town for Shakespeare’s birthday and performed a dragon dance while the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe from China performed The Peony Pavilion. Nobel prize winner Mo Yan visited Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

MayWith its newly extended café and authentic Tudor experience, Mary Arden’s Farm was a family-friendly destination on May Day.

JuneVisitors to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Mary Arden’s Farm were welcomed by ‘Queen Elizabeth I’ in honour of the present Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Signatures of both Queens were on display.

OctoberHighlights of our first Film Festival included an unseen 1959 Peter Hall production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and master film accompanist Neil Brand playing along to Silent Shakespeare.

Novemberwww.yearofshakespeare.com notched up 130,000 page views in 151 countries with its reviews of all 72 UK productions in the World Shakespeare Festival.

DecemberOur first online Advent Calendar celebrated the countdown to Christmas with unique performances of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays filmed through the distinctive doors and windows of Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the Shakespeare Centre.

Angus M

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Royal Shakespeare C

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The Shakespeare Houses & GardensHall’s Croft

Hall’s Croft enjoyed a bumper year in terms of visitor numbers, attracting a diverse audience with several new developments.

Urgent conservation work was undertaken at the start of 2012 to stabilise the house while the Trust plans and raises funds for a longer-term conservation solution. Water damage, damp and rot had left the timber frame in a critical condition. The house remained open throughout the work, and special tours of the conservation work proved popular.

In March the Hall’s Croft café, which had been closed since 2010, re-opened with a fresh new look. The café has quickly become popular with community groups and with visitors

Shakespeare’s BirthplaceThe audio-visual presentation at Shakespeare’s Birthplace was adapted to include versions in eight languages to match the foreign language guidebooks: Japanese, Chinese and German were the best-selling foreign language editions.

The chance to watch – and take part in – short performances by Shakespeare Aloud! continued to enthral visitors.

The resident troupe extended their repertoire to 100 scenes from 30 plays.

The most frequently requested was Romeo and Juliet, performed an estimated 1,820 times.

Following essential conservation work to the premises, the inviting new gift shop, incorporating the Shakespeare Bookshop, opened in March. Overall sales grew by 5.4%, and children’s book sales soared by 34%. Our shops are an important source of income as well as giving visitors a great way to add to and share their personal experience of Shakespeare.

following the ‘cradle to grave’ route from Shakespeare’s Birthplace to Holy Trinity Church.

Shakespeare’s Stories opened at Hall’s Croft in April. The exhibition explored the themes of home and migration, journey and exile in Shakespeare’s plays, through the work of international storyteller Jan Blake. This was part of a World Shakespeare Festival exhibition using objects from the collections of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as items on loan from the British Museum.

A summer season of theatre in the garden included performances from companies as diverse as the acclaimed UK and Malawi-based Bilimankhwe Arts and fifty children from Haringey Shed, the young people’s mixed ability theatre group.

Top: In February the Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust were given a behind the scenes tour of the conservation work taking place at Hall’s Croft.

Above: The gift shop at Hall’s Croft was replaced with a distinctive new shopping experience. The Arter specialises in local, hand-made arts and crafts.


Nash’s House & New PlaceA Time Team special about the Dig for Shakespeare at New Place, screened on Channel Four in March, provided the perfect curtain raiser for the popular archaeology project. In its third season the Dig attracted more visitors than ever, with 15,000 people taking part in the family archaeology activities. Typical comments were “enjoyable and educational for adults and children alike. We could have stayed for hours in the family marquee”.

Nash’s House & New Place was awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Staffed by volunteers and open to the public, the Dig for Shakespeare continued to yield evidence of Shakespeare’s occupation of New Place, including Tudor brick foundations and flooring. The project has also added significantly to the known history of the site over the past 2,000 years. A full report will be published in 2013 and will help to inform plans to re-present and interpret Nash’s House, New Place and the Great Garden in which it stood.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & GardensSay it with Flowers was the apt title of a new exhibition for 2012, when the focus turned to projects to encourage visitors and the local community to enjoy more of the glorious gardens and orchards surrounding the Cottage.

Thousands of visitors left messages on the ‘sweetheart’ board, while outdoors romance continued with handfasting ceremonies in the new heart-shaped lavender maze.

Community groups and volunteers helped to plant thousands of bulbs in the Woodland Walk, where clearings provided new spaces for performances by local groups and schools, and other children’s activities.

In September we hosted our first Garden Festival specifically for the local community and the event is set to grow in 2013. As a result of this activity, we secured funding from the Happy Museum Project for the ‘Sounds in the Garden’ project. These will be part of a pioneering programme that looks at how museums leave a legacy of long-term cultural change within their organisations and communities.

Mary Arden’s FarmThe authentic experience at our working Tudor Farm is the result of great teamwork between a growing band of volunteers and the core team of permanent staff, and in February Mary Arden’s Farm was named Team of the Year at the Touch FM Pride of Stratford Awards.

The Farm opened in March with a newly extended café and a new exhibition, Muscles, Balls and Bowls, exploring sports and games in Shakespeare’s world. An extended programme of activities for all the family included daily falconry displays and have-a-go archery weekends.

We added to our rare breed stock with the first pedigree Portland lambs ever to be born on the farm, and the first pedigree Cotswold lambs for several years. A new Cotswold ram joined the flock and our first home bred lambs will arrive in 2013. A new mini-beast farm of domestic animals and birds proved popular with younger visitors.

We achieved the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge which helps teachers identify providers of high quality learning experiences. Mary Arden’s Farm is a regular venue for our Tudors Alive programmes for primary school pupils.

The Farm featured on BBC One’s Countryfile programme and on Escape to the Country.

Top: Palmer’s Farm is an intrinsic part of the authentic Tudor experience at Mary Arden’s Farm.

In readiness for launch in 2013, work began on our most ambitious education project to date. Shakespeare Week will give every primary school child in Britain the opportunity to have a great first encounter with Shakespeare’s stories, language, and creative and cultural heritage. The first Shakespeare Week, 17-23 March 2014, will unite schools, theatres, galleries, museums, libraries, musicians, publishers and historic places in a national celebration of Shakespeare’s creative influence. We have set a £500,000 fundraising target to achieve our goal of reaching more than 3 million children, with their families and schools, by 2018.

Many children still first encounter Shakespeare in secondary school at Key Stage 3. In September we started to

The Trust developed a new strategy for lifelong learning and participation – the Pathway to Shakespeare.

National Takeover Day“ I didn’t sleep last night, but today has been the

best day of my life.”

On 23 November, 47 children from Bridgetown Primary School, Stratford-upon-Avon, took over Shakespeare’s Birthplace, working as costumed guides, talking knowledgeably about artefacts, selling tickets, greeting visitors, displaying merchandise in the shop and performing their own version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“ As a customer, I was overwhelmed by the joy and excitement of seeing these children engage in history and literature and having the opportunity to enter into dialogue with real people. Well done! Their presence really increased the pleasure of my excursion.” New Zealand visitor


Learning with the Trustresearch a digital media resource for teaching Shakespeare at this level, consulting 350 students at 15 teacher training institutions. The findings will be used to formulate and test a new digital resource during 2013.

We also developed Espresso Shakespeare, a new free-to-use digital resource for teachers at GCSE level. Created in collaboration with leading examination board AQA, Espresso encourages exploration beyond the text being studied for exams, inspiring creative comparisons between Shakespeare’s works in the classroom. This new resource is scheduled for launch in 2013.

Our Learning & Participation team runs a world–class programme of activities for people of all ages to pursue their interests in Shakespeare’s works, life and times. Participation in formal and leisure learning activities increased by 47% to 26,854.

Extending outreachNew funding enabled children from 18 schools to take part in programmes that would not otherwise have been open to them.

The Clore Poetry and Literature Awards for Children and Young People funded 30 children from each of six local secondary schools to attend three workshops with a creative writer, which will culminate in a showcase performance of students’ work inspired by Shakespeare’s stories.

The Collette Foundation, the philanthropic arm of our longest standing travel trade client, awarded the Trust funding to enable primary schools in areas of high deprivation within our region to attend our award-winning living history courses.

“ We were looking for a non-profit organisation that allows children to take part in cultural activity that gives them an understanding of their traditions and heritage. We felt this was a perfect fit.” Laura Schmeltz, Collette Foundation

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust provided funding support for eight schools to perform abridged versions of Shakespeare on a professional stage in Southwark, Shakespeare’s London base, as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival.

Heritage educationOur popular Heritage courses for schools held at Nash’s House and New Place and at Mary Arden’s Farm went to the top of the class for educational visits by being awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. 4,300 children took part in the Trust’s formal heritage learning sessions.

Lifelong learningThe Trust’s study courses for undergraduates and life-long enthusiasts offer a uniquely Shakespeare-centred experience combining visits to the five Shakespeare Houses, outstanding Library and Archive Collections and access to world-class theatre with inspiring educational lectures and workshops. Far from being a final stage, for many enthusiasts, whether they are locals or have travelled from overseas, these are an essential step on a continuing journey with Shakespeare.


Publications and conferencesHighlights of learning and research activity:

Digital Publicationswww.yearofshakespeare.com – Collaboration with the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick. Response to the World Shakespeare Festival funded by AHRC which reviews all 72 UK productions. The web platform site received 47,528 visits from 151 countries in six months.

“ It’s Shakespeare criticism as you have never encountered it before, scholarly, experimental, instant, and at times bizarre. It takes Shakespeare from the stage and academe into the age of Twitter and Facebook, and makes you feel you were there.” Dame Margaret Drabble

PublicationsLives of Shakespearian Actors V: Henry Irving, Anjna Chouhan and Denis Salter eds. (London: Pickering and Chatto, 2012)Final Report. Digital CoPs and Robbers: Communities of Practice and the Transformation of Research, David Hopes and Henry Chapman (Arts and Humanities Research Council, September 2012)Vanessa Gerhards’s Shakespeare Reloaded: The Shakespeare Renaissance 1989-2004, Nick Walton, Archiv fuer das Studium der Neueren Sprachen und LiteraturenShakespearian Biography into 21st Century, edited by Paul Edmondson and Paul Franssen (University of Utrecht), Critical Survey

ConferencesApril – Tang Xianzu Culter Festival, Suichang, China. Jacqueline Green spoke on cultural tourism and the role of education in its continuing development.April/May – Boston Birthday Celebrations, USA. Nick Walton spoke at the Modern Theatre and the British Consulate.May – MuseumNext 2012, Barcelona, Spain. David Hopes gave a paper entitled Snap Happy: Putting Users in the Picture based on the Eye Shakespeare app. Sponsored by Coventry University.September – English-Speaking Union World Members Conference, Istanbul. Diana Owen spoke on Shakespeare’s enduring contemporary relevance.September – Shakespeare Club, Stratford-upon-Avon. Nick Walton spoke on the research he undertook for the World Shakespeare Encyclopaedia.November – Sixth Form Conference at the British Museum. Nick Walton lectured on ‘The World of the Text: Imaginary Forces’.

Talks were given by Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells at: Exeter College (Oxford), The British Shakespeare Association conference (Lancaster), University College (Cork), the Oxford Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Craiova Shakespeare Festival (Romania) and the English-Speaking Union conference (Belgrade).

Paul Edmondson also chaired a session at The International Shakespeare Conference (University of Birmingham) and spoke at The German Shakespeare Society Conference (Weimar). Stanley Wells launched the University of Notre Dame Annual Wells Shakespeare Lecture series, and spoke at the Ways with Words Book Festival (Keswick), the Sunday Times Education Festival, the French Shakespeare Society (Montpellier), the Gyula Shakespeare Festival (Hungary) and recorded a talk for a BBC Radio 3 essay series.

OtherCollaboration with AQA – Nick Walton devised and developed a digital resource for teachers with the exam board AQA for launch in 2013.

Awards – Anjna Chouhan, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies, was awarded the University of Leicester Doctoral Inaugural Lecture Prize for the year 2012.

Shakespeare and Creativity – We are a partner in the University of Birmingham’s new MA and PhD programmes. Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells will be guest speakers for some of the modules.

We are grateful to the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund for a £67,000 grant towards a fresh presentation of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, including a new permanent display of the treasures from our collections in 2013.

We were also delighted to receive significant funding from Arts Council England which will enable us to increase public access to our internationally important and Designated collections. One grant of £120,500 will help us to manage and conserve the Trust’s and RSC’s collections more effectively and unlock their potential for different users, paving the


Top left: A silver disk medal of Sir Francis Drake’s world voyages, loaned to us by the British Museum for the Shakespeare’s Stories exhibition at Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

Top right: A late 16th century first edition Saxton map of Warwickshire and Leicestershire which will be displayed in our 2013 exhibition at Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

Below: A member of our Collections team carries out conservation cleaning on a large stoneware jug dating from the 17th century.

way to the creation of the world’s most important single Shakespeare Collection in Stratford-upon-Avon. A further grant of £83,000 through the Arts Council England Designation Development Fund will enable us to review, research and contextualise the costumes worn on the stage and their associated archives and make this information available online.

Conservation in actionWe display an unusually high proportion of museum artefacts from our collections in our exhibitions and at the five Shakespeare Houses and Gardens. This creates a fantastic experience for our visitors however it creates challenges around conserving those items on display. The Collections team spend a significant amount of time on preventative conservation performing tasks such as cleaning artefacts in the houses, producing condition reports, pest management and environmental monitoring. This would not be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers who assist the team.

Considerable time has also been spent cataloguing new books and carrying out retrospective cataloguing with over 5,330 records being created or amended in the database throughout 2012. Retrospective cataloguing focused on individual editions of Shakespeare’s works, adaptations, translations and commentaries of his plays.

Unlocking our Collections

Eye ShakespeareEye Shakespeare, the Trust’s new Smartphone app, was launched in June. Visitors can use the app in six different languages to explore Stratford-upon-Avon, taking in key sites including the five Shakespeare Houses and five centuries of local history which are brought to life through 200 digitised treasures from the Trust’s collections.

The latest version of the app, launching in 2013, will contain augmented reality features, such as a 3D reconstruction of Shakespeare’s New Place.

Sharing Shakespeare’s StoriesIn Stratford-upon-Avon we mounted the Shakespeare’s Stories exhibition across three sites in conjunction with the RSC and the British Museum. An exchange of items on loan allowed visitors to Shakespeare’s Birthplace to see three beautiful navigational instruments from the British Museum, while our most valuable book, the Ashburnham First Folio, and the earliest accurate map of Shakespeare’s home county, were on view for 103,944 visitors to the British Museum’s exhibition in London, Shakespeare: Staging the World.

Right: The Ashburnham Folio, printed in 1623, is one of approximately 230 First Folio’s to survive and is one of our most precious items in the Collections.

Left: A drawing of New Place as it was in 1693 was produced by George Vertue, engraver and antiquary, in 1737. It is one of the many items digitised for the Eye Shakespeare app.



The talents and commitment of our volunteers are beyond price.

Over 400 volunteers donated 29,000 hours of their time to the work of the Trust last year, an increase of 16% from 2011. Volunteer support is worth at least £345,000 in terms of time alone, but the benefit of volunteering to the Trust and volunteers alike is immeasurably greater.

Everyone at the Trust was thrilled when Mary Arden’s Farm, a shining example of teamwork between staff and volunteers, scooped the Team of the Year prize in the Pride of Stratford Awards.

Volunteering and community engagement

for young people. Twelve teenagers with their adult mentors took part in a fact-finding visit, followed by a volunteering day at Mary Arden’s Farm making bricks and rebuilding the Tudor privy. They then devised a fundraising day in support of the Trust’s first Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day.

Five corporate volunteer groups assisted our Gardens team with larger scale projects and two of these joined as part of the national Give and Gain Day of employee volunteering, organised by Business in the Community. Three groups from Midcounties Cooperative departments volunteered independently throughout the year.

Volunteering at Shakespeare’s Birthplace

“Every day is different as you never know who will come into the house, but it is always enjoyable and exciting. Most visitors are enthusiastic and keen to find out more, and it is an amazing feeling to be able to answer their questions about Shakespeare and also the general history of the house and the surrounding area. There is a lot of laughter and fun interacting with people from all around the world and all walks of life. From the outset I felt part of a privileged team. All of the guides were friendly from day one, and helped me learn my way around. Volunteering at the Birthplace is the highlight of my week.”

Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds tackled tasks including historical re-enactment, room hosting, archaeology, gardening and caring for our collections.In 2012 we welcomed our first group from The Challenge Network, an organisation that arranges summer challenges

Top right: Dr Paul Edmondson marks Edward Lear’s 150th anniversary with a performance of The Owl and the Pussycat outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace as part of the 59th Stratford Poetry Festival.

Top left: Children from Shottery School help to plant 10,000 bulbs in the Woodland Walk at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage as part of the Happy Museum funded project.

Haringey Shed, a youth theatre group from Tottenham, rehearse for their performance at the Hall’s Croft Theatre in the Garden Festival

Right: Staff and volunteers at Mary Arden’s Farm invite visitors to ‘earn their keep’ and try their hand at traditional rural tasks and skills.


FestivalsWe invested in new events and programming with the aim of bringing new audiences to Shakespeare from our immediate community and from further afield.

Our first Shakespeare Film Festival took place in October with Sir Kenneth Branagh as patron. In association with Stratford Picturehouse, the two week festival featured iconic films and adaptations of Shakespeare’s work for audiences of all ages, with workshops and talks by guest speakers from the worlds of cinema, music and academia. We also launched our Shakespeare Short Film Competition, which has attracted entries from around the world. The winning entry will be screened at the second, music-themed Shakespeare Film Festival in October 2013.

“ This new annual celebration of Shakespeare Film is not only a wonderful opportunity to look back at landmark productions, but also to nurture new film making talent and explore fresh ways of translating his work to the screen. I wish it every success.” Sir Kenneth Branagh, Patron of the Shakespeare Film Festival

There was innovation too in our 59th Stratford Poetry Festival. One thousand people took part in our first ‘Poetry Sunday’, which brought the sound of poetry to every corner of Stratford. Working with the Hosking Houses Trust, we commissioned our first writer in residence, Kapka Kassabova, to produce three poems. Special poetry events were delivered in partnership with organisations including Poet in the City, Writing West Midlands and Amnesty International. We were delighted to welcome the Malawian Bilimankhwe Arts Company for the premiere of Jack Mapanje’s prison memoire.

More than 20 local producers, craftspeople and community groups took part in our first Garden Festival in the grounds of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, and the event is set to grow in 2013. As a result of this activity, we secured funding from the Happy Museum Project for two new ‘Sounds in the Garden’ projects for 2013. These will be part of a pioneering programme that looks at how museums can build links between sustainability, happiness and well-being to leave a legacy of long-term cultural change.

Fundraising and the development of new income streams is vital to support everything we do, and particularly to help us make Shakespeare accessible to more people and in new ways.

Last year we reported that we had established a new Development team, laying the foundations for increased fundraising activity which attracted a number of grants and other new income streams in 2012.

Grants from the Collette Foundation and the Clore Poetry and Literature Awards enabled hundreds of children from 18 schools to take part in activities that would not otherwise have been open to them.

The experience of every visitor to Shakespeare’s Birthplace has been enhanced with a refreshed presentation and a new permanent exhibition of treasures from our collections, many of which have never been on public display, made possible by a grant from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

Two significant grants from Arts Council England are enabling us to manage and conserve our collections more effectively, unlocking their potential for different users and generating income to support our conservation work.

Donations and legaciesOur 2012 legacy campaign attracted several generous bequests, including £67,000 from one supporter, for which we are very grateful. This legacy has been set aside as Designated Reserves in order to support the ongoing work of the Trust.

We ran four appeals in 2012 including the Birthplace Appeal to enhance our exhibition facilities, and three appeals for the long term care of the internationally important historic houses, library and collections for which the Trust is responsible in perpetuity.

Fundraising development

Top left: Hundreds of children were able to take part in our educational activities thanks to support from the Collette Foundation and Clore Poetry and Literature Awards.

Top right: We are extremely grateful to the many foundations, Friends and supporters who donated to our Local Son, International Icon appeal enabling us to showcase our Collections at Shakespeare’s Birthplace.


DCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund

Creative Cataloguing Creative Cataloguing is a research project undertaken by Peter Hewitt, an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded collaborative doctoral student, which looks at the connections between early modern texts (specifically Shakespeare) and material culture, and the folkloric and ‘magical’ qualities of the materials that compose objects. The research has been disseminated through special talks and articles. Peter also regularly contributes to the Collections blog series Shakespeare’s World in 100 Objects on our Finding Shakespeare blog site.

Right: This painting, entitled Death and the Maiden, circa 1570, is on display in Hall’s Croft and is one of the many items Peter Hewitt looked into as part of his research.

The Trust enjoys the invaluable support of over 700 Friends and we are most grateful for their active involvement in and contributions to so many aspects of our work. Special events and insight tours for Friends included a conservation tour of Hall’s Croft, an exclusive look at the development of the new Birthplace exhibition and a talk on the hidden items within our Collections.

Right: Friends were treated to an exclusive event in which they were told about the challenges of displaying Shakespeare’s Birthplace for an audience as diverse as ours.

Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Our thanks to…As an independent charity, raising funds is essential to support everything we do. Our work is only possible thanks to the help of our supporters, partners, donors and Friends.

American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace TrustArts Council EnglandAurelius Charitable TrustBBC Hands on HistoryThe Bewley Charitable TrustJohn S Cohen Charitable TrustClore Duffield FoundationThe Collette FoundationDCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement FundFriends of the Shakespeare Birthplace TrustThe Gatsby Charitable FoundationHappy Museum ProjectHeritage Lottery FundThe Kay Hinkley Charitable TrustMcCorquodale Charitable TrustMisfit IncOakley Charitable TrustOwen Family TrustGeorge Pragnell LtdSerious Games Institute, Coventry UniversityStratford-upon-Avon PicturehouseTechnology Strategy BoardShakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham

We would like to thank the many anonymous donors and the following people who supported our work:

Mr John and Mrs Albina AndersonFern AndersonDr D J BartlettFrank R BensonLeslie BerryAnne BlairAnn CalhounDr and Mrs CoigleyJudith Coleman, in memory of Dorothy ColemanPhyllis CollinsDonation in memory of Mrs Rose Davis and Dr Harry DavisMr and Mrs J Dench Eileen and Ray DunnEdmund and Holly EgerCharles ElmyMrs Rachel M FieldJeannie FarrBrian G HarrisonIan G HeggieMrs Wendy HuntEnid JarvisGeorge and Jeannie KountourisMr Mike LedgardMrs Annie Maccoby-BerglofDanielle MarchantPaul and Hollie NielsenChrys PrestonElizabeth RussellGwen SmithJoyce Strachan, in memory of Douglas StrachanGreig TillotsonMrs Alison UppardMrs Brenda VandammeWellington Shakespeare Society, New Zealand



Trustees’ Statement on the Summarised Financial StatementsThese summary financial statements are a summary of information extracted from the Trustees’ report and consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2012. They may not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the Trust.

For further information, the full financial statements, the auditor’s report on those financial statements and the Trustees’ report should be consulted.

Copies of these can be obtained from: The Chief Finance and Commercial Officer, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6QW.

The Trustees’ report and consolidated financial statements were approved on 14th June 2013 and will be delivered to the Charity Commission in due course.

The financial statements have been audited by a qualified auditor, Mazars LLP, who gave an audit opinion that was unqualified.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees

Peter Kyle OBEChairman of the Trustees

Independent auditors’ statement to the Trustees of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust We have examined the summary financial statements of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for the year ended 31st December 2012 which comprise the summary consolidated statement of financial activities and the summary consolidated balance sheet.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and AuditorThe Trustees are responsible for preparing the summary financial statements in accordance with applicable United Kingdom law and the recommendations of the Charities SORP.

Our responsibility is to report to you our opinion on the consistency of the summary financial statement within the Annual Report with the full annual financial statements and the Trustees’ Report. This report is made to the charity’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s Trustees those matters that we have agreed to state in this report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s Trustees, as a body, for our work or for this report.

We also read the other information contained in the Annual Report and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the summary financial statements.

We conducted our work in accordance with Bulletin 2008/3 issued by the Auditing Practices Board. Our report on the charity’s full annual financial statements describes the basis of our opinion on those financial statements and on the Trustees’ Report.

OpinionIn our opinion the summary financial statements are consistent with the full annual financial statements and the Trustees’ Report of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for the year ended 31st December 2012.

Mazars LLPChartered Accountants (Statutory Auditors) 45 Church StreetBirmingham B3 2RT

Summary financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2012


These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on 14th June 2013 and were signed on its behalf by:

Peter Kyle OBE Chairman of the Trustees

Consolidated statement of financial activitiesfor the year ended 31 December 2012

Consolidated balance sheetat 31 December 2012

2012£000 £000

2011£000 £000

Fixed assets

Tangible assets 1,222 1,480Heritage assets 15 15Investments 22,710 21,635

23,947 23,130Current assetsStocks 224 234Debtors 285 385Cash at bank and in hand 302 733

811 1,352

Liabilities

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

(824) (1,015)

Net current (liabilities) assets (13) 337

Total assets less current liabilities representing net assets excluding pension liability

23,934 23,467

Defined benefit pension scheme liability

(2,967) (2,917)

Net assets including pension liability

20,967 20,550

Funds

Restricted funds 453 424

Unrestricted income funds

Other charitable funds 6,937 7,278

Pension reserve (2,967) (2,917)

Net other charitable funds 3,970 4,361

Designated funds 1,361 1,269

Revaluation reserve 15,183 14,496

Total unrestricted funds 20,514 20,126

Total funds 20,967 20,550

At a glance review of the yearIncoming resources (£,000) Resources expended (£,000)

n Admission to the historic houses

n Trading incomen Provision of academic and

cultural servicesn Rental income from the

investment estaten Income from investmentsn Other incoming resources

n Maintenance and management of historic houses

n Trading costsn Academic and cultural servicesn Maintenance and management

of investment estaten Governance costs

£99

£4,390

£2,020

£1,736

£366

Unrestricted funds

£000

Restricted funds

£000

Total2012£000

Total2011£000

Incoming resourcesIncoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income 97 89 186 13 Activities for generating funds Trading income 2,114 - 2,114 1,856Investment income Income from investments 193 - 193 185 Rental income from the let estate 806 - 806 774Incoming resources from charitable activities Admissions to the historic houses 4,180 - 4,180 4,366 Provision of academic and cultural services

418 168 586 697

Redevelopment project - - - -Other incoming resources 31 - 31 68

Total incoming resources 7,839 257 8,096 7,959

Resources expendedCost of generating funds Costs of generating voluntary income

88 - 88 79

Fundraising trading: cost of goods sold and other costs

2,020 - 2,020 1,589

Management of the let estate 366 - 366 348Charitable activities Maintenance and management of historic houses

4,294 8 4,302 3,368

Academic and cultural services 1,516 220 1,736 1,804Governance costs 99 - 99 100

Total resources expended 8,383 228 8,611 7,288

Net (outgoing) / incoming resources before other recognised gains and losses

(544) 29 (515) 671

Other recognised gains and lossesNet gains (losses)/ on investment assets

916 - 916 (128)

Gain on revaluation of fixed assets for charity’s own use

109 - 109 -

Actuarial (loss) on defined benefit pension scheme

(93) - (93) (880)

Net movement in funds 388 29 417 (337)

Reconciliation of funds

Funds brought forward at beginning of year as originally stated

21,635

Prior year adjustments (748)

Funds brought forward restated 20,126 424 20,550 20,887

Funds carried forward at end of year

20,514 453 20,967 20,550

Restricted funds comprise both income and capital funds. The prior year adjustment relates to a change in accounting policy to recognise preservation costs in the year that the costs are incurred. The incoming resources, resources expended and resulting net movement in funds arise from continuing operations and includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

£4,180

£2,114

£586

£806

£193 £217


The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust came into existence as a result of the purchase for preservation as a national memorial of Shakespeare’s Birthplace in 1847, and of Shakespeare’s New Place estate in 1862. The Trustees were first incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1891, and now carry out their responsibilities under the terms of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Act, 1961, The Trust is a Registered Charity, number 209302.

The objectives of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, as defined by the Trust’s Act, are:

a) to promote in every part of the world the appreciation and study of the plays and other works of William Shakespeare and the general advancement of Shakespearian knowledge

b) to maintain and preserve the Shakespeare Birthplace properties for the benefit of the nationc) to provide and maintain for the benefit of the nation a museum and a library of books, manuscripts, records of historic interest, pictures,

photographs and objects of antiquity with particular but not exclusive reference to William Shakespeare, his life, works and times.

ChairmanPeter Kyle OBE, CCMI

Life TrusteesSir Geoffrey Cass MA, CCMI, FInstD A Dame Margaret Drabble DBE Professor Ann Jennalie Cook PhD, FSA Professor Stanley Wells CBE, BA, PhD, Hon DLitt, Hon DPhilSir Eric Anderson KT, MA, MLitt, Hon DLitt, FRSE Neville Tarratt FCIB A Roger Pringle MA, Duniv, FRSA, DL Peter Nicholls P Michael Wood MA, HonDPhil, FRHistSoc, FSA, FRSA Professor Kate McLuskie MA, PhD Richard Hyde BSc, FCA (appointed 15 June 2012) N P

Ex-officio TrusteesLord Lieutenant of Warwickshire Sir Martin Dunne KCVOHigh Steward of Stratford-upon-Avon Sir William Dugdale Bt, CBE, MC, DLTown Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon Councillor William Dowling (until 17 May 2012) Councillor Keith Lloyd (from 17 May 2012) Bishop of the Diocese of Coventry The Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth BA, PhD, PGCEVicar of the Collegiate Church of Holy Trinity The Rev Martin Gorick MA, Cert Theol Headmaster of King Edward VI School Bennet Carr BA, PGCE, NPQH

Representative TrusteesArts Council England Paul Allen BA (until 16 February 2012)British Library Kristian Jensen PhD, FSA (until 1 October 2012) Caroline Brazier MA (from 27 November 2012)National Trust Margaret Cund BSc, MPhil ARoyal Shakespeare Company Vikki Heywood CBE, Hon DLitt (until 14 September 2012)

Catherine Mallyon (from 17 October 2012)Shakespeare’s Globe Neil Constable FGSM, CCMI (from 15 June 2012)Stratford-on-Avon District Council Councillor Eric Payne (until 3 May 2012) Councillor Rev Neville Beamer MA (from 3 May 2012)University of Birmingham Professor Michael Dobson BA, MA, DPhil University of Cambridge Professor Adrian Poole MA, PhD (until 8 February 2012) Stephen Jolly MA, FCIPR (from 1 June 2012)University of London Professor René Weis BA, MA, PhDUniversity of Oxford Professor Tiffany Stern MA, PhD, MPhilUniversity of Warwick Professor Carol Chillington Rutter BA, MA, PhD Warwickshire County Council Councillor Ron Cockings, MBA (until 7 November 2012)

Local TrusteesHelen Keays BA, MCIM NA P Bird OBE PRichard Hyde BSc, FCA (until 15 June 2012) N PPeter Kyle OBE, CCMI NJohn Russell BSc PRalph Bernard CBE (appointed 15 June 2012) N

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

TrusteesThe Trustees who served during the year were:

Honorary Fellows:Paul Allen BA (from 15 June 2012)Dr Robert Bearman MBE Michael Bogdanov Dr Paula Byrne BA, MA, PhD Dame Judi Dench CH, DBE Gregory Doran William Hawkes MBE, MA, ARIBA, FSA

Richard Pasco CBE Andrew Phillips BA, MCLIP Professor Adrian Poole MA, PhD (from 15 June 2012)NS Pratt MA Sir Roy Strong FSA Dame Janet Suzman BA, DBE (from 15 June 2012)Greg Wyatt

Chairman Peter KyleDeputy Chairman Richard Hyde Peter Nicholls (until 15 June 2012) Sir Eric Anderson (until 15 June 2012) Helen Keays Margaret Cund

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust reserves statement

Principal Advisors

Funds and reserves policyThe Trust maintains reserves to ensure that it is able to continue to fulfil its charitable purpose by providing for business continuity, the ongoing conservation, development and maintenance of its properties, and to support future capital and revenue expenditure requirements which may not be covered by incoming resources. The composition of these reserves is explained below. The Trustees are committed to managing these reserves to offer the best returns to the Trust and are in a position to potentially dispose of them to meet the future needs of the Trust, for example conservation works, capital works and for the care of our archive and Collections.

1. Covering uninsurable business interruption:The Trustees believe Free Reserves equivalent to at least six months running and reorganisation costs, of approximately £3.9 million, are necessary in order to finance operations should extraordinary events beyond the Trust’s control affect its revenue streams. Current free reserves, calculated as total unrestricted funds less tangible fixed assets, investment properties held to preserve the area around the historic houses and designated funds, are £2.5 million (2011: £2.7 million).

2. Strategic Property reserves:The Strategic Property held by the Trust is property that has been gifted or acquired and is deemed by the Trustees to be of strategic importance to the Trust. In many cases this property is located near or adjacent to the Shakespeare Houses and Gardens and is important to their setting, and the portfolio is managed in a way that is sympathetic to the setting of the historic houses.

3. Operational Fixed Assets and Restricted Funds:This £1.2m reflects the net book value of operational fixed assets such as vehicles, computers and exhibition equipment that are needed for the day to day operations of the Trust. A further £0.4m is held as Restricted Reserves.

4. Balance of ReservesThe balance of Free Reserves (£2.5m) and Designated Funds for identified conservation works (£1.36m) is insufficient for the sums required for the conservation of the historic properties, improvements to the visitor experience and the conservation and management of the Collections. The Trustees have designated £1.4m of remaining funds for identified short to medium term remedial conservation work at the historic properties.

Because the remaining free reserves are insufficient for our future needs, we need to seek external funding for conservation and other activities that cannot be met from Reserves currently held by the Trust.


£,000 NoteReserves held at 31 December 2012 20,967 Strategic property reserves 15,420 1Free reserves: equivalent to 6 months running costs 3,982 2Operational Fixed Assets 1,237 3Restricted reserves 453 3Designated fund for identified conservation works at the historic properties 1,361 4Remaining free reserves -1,486 4

Senior Officers Director Diana Owen BA, PhDChief Operating Officer Lincoln Clarke (until 13 July 2012)Chief Finance and Commercial Officer Tim Taylor BA, ACMAHead of Operations & Business Development (Interim) Mark Armstrong FRICS (from 13 July 2012)Head of Marketing & Audience Development Rachel Hudson BA (from 17 September 2012)Secretary to Trustees Julia Howells MA

ArchitectsOsbornesThe BalconiesHanley SwanWorcestershireWR8 0DN

Auditors Mazars LLP45 Church StreetBirminghamB3 2RT

Rodney Melville and Partners10 Euston PlaceLeamington SpaWarwickshire CV32 4JL

SolicitorsRobert Lunn and Lowth2 Sheep StreetStratford-upon-Avon CV37 6EJ

Bankers HSBC Bank plc, 13 Chapel StreetStratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6EP

Chartered Surveyors Sheldon Bosley, 58 Ely Street,Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6LN

Address of principal officeThe Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6QW

Michael DobsonJohn RussellRalph Bernard (from 15 June 2012)Bennet Carr (from 15 June 2012)

Executive CommitteeThe administration of the Trust is vested in the Executive Committee:

At 31 December 2012 the Trust had total reserves of £20.9m.

Three standing committees/subcommittees support the work of the Trustees, membership of these at 31 December 2012 is indicated as follows: A: Audit Standing Committee, N: Nominations & Remuneration Standing Committee, P: Property & Investment Subcommittee

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Published by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust,The Shakespeare Centre,Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6QWt: +44 (0)1789 204016f: +44 (0)1789 296083e: [email protected]

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Documents

Annual Report 2012