To mark Shakespeare's birthday, join Deaf guide Edward Richards for a special out-of-hours tour.

The 18th and early 19th centuries saw a great revival of interest in Shakespeare, with celebrated actors like John Philip Kemble and his sister Sarah Siddons performing regularly in his plays. John and Eliza Soane enjoyed visits to the theatre and Soane continued to go to the theatre even after his wife’s death in 1815. Soane’s admiration for Shakespeare as the greatest literary genius in England’s history is reflected in his collections. Discover the Shakespeare recess, dedicated to the playwright's memory, which includes a cast of the bust from his tomb in Stratford-on-Avon, and paintings of scenes from plays including King Lear and The Merry Wives of Windsor

The tour will include a visit to Eliza Soane's Morning Room in the Private Apartments which has a series of etchings of Shakespearean characters by John Hamilton Mortimer from the mid 1770s and a painting, Shakespeare's Flowers, by Clara Maria Pope c.1835, which is described in an 1837 inventory  as 'The Bust of Shakespeare encircled by all the Flowers mentioned in his Works'.

Lasting around an hour and limited to 10 people, these tours led by Deaf guides exclusively for D/deaf and hard of hearing visitors take place quarterly.

To reserve your place, please email Markand Patel, mpatel@soane.org.uk

Please let us know if you have any additional access needs that may require support. You will receive an email confirmation with further information.

Photo: Gareth Gardner.