Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (must see)

“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention...” Shakespeare’s words seem especially fitting as you look at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, transformed and reopened in 2010 alongside the neighboring Swan Theatre.

This building is the successor to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which opened here in 1932 after an earlier theatre on the site was destroyed by fire in 1926. Designed by architect Elisabeth Scott, the new venue was renamed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961, shortly after the creation of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Today, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre seats around 1,040 people and is built around a thrust stage, which projects into the auditorium with the audience seated on three sides. It is often described as a “one-room” theatre because actors and spectators share the same intimate space. The design recalls the close relationship between performers and audiences habitual in theatres of Shakespeare’s time.

There is plenty to explore even when you are not attending a performance. The Rooftop Restaurant and Bar offers views over the River Avon, while the Riverside Café and Terrace provide another place to relax beside the water. A colonnade connects the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with the smaller Swan Theatre.

One of the building’s most noticeable features is its 118-foot-high tower. From the viewing level near the top, you can enjoy wide views across Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding countryside. At ground level, a riverside path continues past the theatre from nearby Bancroft Gardens.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip officially opened the renewed theatre complex in March 2011.

The building also contains a quieter theatrical memorial. During reconstruction work in 2007, an urn containing the ashes of actor Ian Richardson, a distinguished member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was placed within the theatre’s foundations by his widow and son.