Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall is a significant building to Stratford-upon-Avon and a national and international treasure, being one of only a few remaining examples of a medieval Guildhall in the country.

The Guildhall was constructed by the Guild of the Holy Cross between 1418 and 1420 and was the Guild’s headquarters. Over the next a hundred years or so more buildings were added including a Schoolhouse, a Chapel and Almhouses. By around 1530 the Guildhall was the most impressive complex of buildings in Stratford and in 1553 it became the headquarters of Stratford Borough Council. It remained the heart of civic life in Stratford for over 400 years.

In the 1560s the King’s New School (later known as King Edward VI School or K.E.S.) moved into the Guildhall and then, in 1571, a seven-year-old boy called William Shakespeare arrived at the school. Little did anyone know that he would go on to become the world’s greatest playwright! Shakespeare studied at the school until he was 14 and thanks to his father’s position as Bailiff (Mayor) and his role in licensing the performances of the professional players touring the country, it is believed that he would have seen troupes of the greatest actors of the time such as the Queen’s Men, the Earl of Warwick’s Men and the Earl of Leicester’s Men perform in the building. K.E.S. pupils still study in the Guildhall today.

For hundreds of years, generations of local people have used the Guildhall, cared for it and adapted it which has meant it has never fallen into neglect and kept its unique atmosphere alive. The building was opened up to the public as a visitor attraction in 2016.