A forgotten building that opened 100 years ago and which was a safe haven for nearly 100,000 First World War soldiers, is being remembered this summer.
Digital Drama, a UK-based media production company, has been awarded a £49,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the project Resurrecting the Shakespeare Hut, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and The Mustard Club.
The project commemorates 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 Street 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 Street 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.
The project aims to introduce the public to the Hut’s fascinating history for the very first time and preserve its heritage for future generations to enjoy. On Wednesday 6 July a special installation opened at the School, 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.
Gateways Research Network member Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson from the University of Brighton uncovered the Shakespeare Hut and is an expert advisor on the project.
Find out more at http://shakespearehut.lshtm.ac.uk/
