Playwright donates £1m to renovate historical home

Ken Ludwig said it was an "honour to support the preservation of Shakespeare's legacy"

A renowned American playwright has donated £1m to refurbish the historical home of Shakespeare's daughter.

Hall's Croft, a Grade I listed building which dates back to 1613, closed during the pandemic for conservation work that ensured its "long-term survival".

Ken Ludwig, who has produced work in more than 30 countries, said it was an honour to support the preservation of Shakespeare's legacy, adding that the building "had to be saved".

It marks the largest private donation in the 177-year history of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Shakespeare grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and had a family there

Mr Ludwig has had eight productions in London's West End, including a play named Lend Me a Tenor which has won multiple awards.

The 74-year-old said that Shakespeare had become the centre of his intellectual life and he visited Stratford to get inspiration.

"There are five buildings where we know that Shakespeare walked, and this is one of them, and this one could fall down," he said.

"As a playwright, restoring Hall's Croft is a way of giving back for the lifetime of joy and inspiration I've derived from the British theatre."

Luke Purser described Hall's Croft as an "aesthetically extraordinary place"

Luke Purser, from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, described Hall's Croft as an "aesthetically extraordinary place" in a "wonderful setting".

He said that the Jacobean building would be reopened in the future as the first phase of conservation work helped decide the plans for the house.

Work includes passing steel needles through the walls to support the first and second floors and building scaffold towers.

The condition of jetty beams would also be inspected to explore further conservation methods, the trust said.

“This is a fabulous act of generosity on Ken Ludwig’s part, which secures the future of a key element of genuine Shakespearian history," the trust's chief executive Tim Cooke added.