Museums And Archives

Shakespeare’s Globe Research and Collections: London’s only cultural heritage centre for Shakespeare

Sam Wanamaker first conceived of rebuilding the Globe Theatre in 1949 and founded the charity in 1971. Our archive stretches back to those earliest days, before opening in 1997 to the public as a theatrical experiment into Shakespeare’s world. Now, as we approach our thirtieth anniversary of opening that theatre, we are embarking on a new chapter, this time opening to the public like never before with our extensive archives and collections. We are the custodians of an extraordinary breadth of physical heritage, uniting several collections that form a unique cultural resource. This has been both collected by us or donated to us since Shakespeare’s Globe was first dreamed of. Our vision is not simply to make our vast collection available, but to design innovative ways for our collections to welcome communities who might not otherwise engage, to explore the shared cultural heritage of the world’s most famous Briton together.