Resurrecting the Shakespeare Hut
This summer the School is remembering a forgotten building that opened 100 years ago and which was a safe haven for nearly 100,000 First World War soldiers. Through a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, Resurrecting the Shakespeare Hut, is commemorating the lives of the servicemen who used, and the women who worked at, the Shakespeare Hut, which was erected on the grounds of what is now the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Keppel Steet site in Bloomsbury, in August 1916.
YMCA Huts were a regular sight in England, France and on all the fighting fronts during the First World War, providing a 'home from home' for soldiers to rest, recover and be entertained. However, the Keppel Steet hut was built with a special purpose - to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and to entertain the troops through the playwright's work, keeping them away from the dangerous London streets.
A special installation is providing visitors with a chance to go back in time by stepping into a replica room designed from a photograph taken inside the original building. Rarely seen images showing the Hut in action are on display as well as audio and visual exhibits recounting local residents' family memories of the First World War.
Check out the news story and for more information.
The installation runs in conjunction with our Summer exhibition, The Changing Face of Keppel Street.
Admission Details: Free and open to all, with no ticket required. Opening hours are Monday - Friday from 10am to 5pm.