Stationers Hall, London

Back in the days of Shakespeare, the book trade was subject to regulation by the Stationers Company, a guild established in 1403. The primary responsibility of this guild was to approve all published works and ensure, on behalf of the crown, that there was no seditious content or ideas conflicting with the prevailing religious beliefs of the time.

Naturally, the headquarters of the Stationers Company, known as Stationers Hall, served as a central hub for the publishing business, and the surrounding area was adorned with bookshops. However, in 1666, the catastrophic Great Fire of London consumed Stationers' Hall along with a significant portion of the City of London. George Tokefield, the Clerk, managed to relocate most of the Company's records to his residence in Clerkenwell, a considerate act that preserved the Company's unique archive.

Construction of the new Hall commenced in 1670, and by 1673, it was in use for a Lord Mayor's Day dinner. Over the decade following the fire, approximately £5,000 was expended on the Hall, warehouse, Court Room, Stock Room, and adjacent properties.

Despite suffering substantial damage during enemy actions in 1940, the Hall remains one of London's most splendid structures. The Court Room experienced partial destruction but was painstakingly restored by 1957. Additionally, the ceiling of the Livery Hall had to be reconstructed, adhering to a design from 1800.

In 2017, The Company established the Tokefield Centre, featuring state-of-the-art storage and reading rooms for its archive. This facility allows for the meticulous tracing of Shakespeare's entire publication history, encompassing his poems and the renowned folios published posthumously.

Mon-Fri: 8am–12am; Sat: 9am–12am; Sun; 9am–11pm