Strawberry Hill After Dark: Shakespeare Reimagined
An exclusive after-hours series combining candlelit exhibition viewing, drinks, and talks by leading experts.
From November 2025 to February 2026, Strawberry Hill House opens its doors after hours for a special programme of expert talks connected to Henry VIII’s Lost Dagger: From the Tudor Court to the Victorian Stage.
Thursday 5 February 2026 – Strawberry Hill After Dark: Shakespeare Rediscovered
Arrive from 6.00pm to enjoy a rosewater spritz — a delicate nod to Ottoman courtly flavours — and explore the landmark exhibition in the hush of Walpole’s candlelit castle. In the Tribune, encounter two dazzling sixteenth-century Ottoman daggers reunited for the first time. Continue into the Great North Bedchamber to discover how Victorian actor Charles Kean reimagined Walpole’s dagger for the stage.
At 7.00pm, gather in the Long Gallery for an expert talk on from Professor Robin Simon (UCL) ”Nothing is but what is not”: historical authenticity in the theatre 1700–1850’.
Tickets: Standard £25 | Students £17.50
(Includes rosewater spritz, exhibition entry, and lecture.)
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In the theatre, historical authenticity was a long time coming. After the Restoration in 1660, Shakespeare’s plays were rewritten. Sets bore few indications of any specific date. Plays such as Macbeth were performed in contemporary court dress. It all began to change in the second half of the 18th century, under the influence of antiquarians such as John Carter…
Robin Simon is Editor of The British Art Journal and Honorary Professor in the Department of English, University College London. He has just retired as Chairman of the Works of Art Committee of the Garrick Club. His most recent book is Shakespeare, Hogarth and Garrick: Plays, Painting and Performance (2023).
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An exclusive after-hours series combining candlelit exhibition viewing, drinks, and talks by leading experts.
From November 2025 to February 2026, Strawberry Hill House opens its doors after hours for a special programme of expert talks connected to Henry VIII’s Lost Dagger: From the Tudor Court to the Victorian Stage.
Thursday 5 February 2026 – Strawberry Hill After Dark: Shakespeare Rediscovered
Arrive from 6.00pm to enjoy a rosewater spritz — a delicate nod to Ottoman courtly flavours — and explore the landmark exhibition in the hush of Walpole’s candlelit castle. In the Tribune, encounter two dazzling sixteenth-century Ottoman daggers reunited for the first time. Continue into the Great North Bedchamber to discover how Victorian actor Charles Kean reimagined Walpole’s dagger for the stage.
At 7.00pm, gather in the Long Gallery for an expert talk on from Professor Robin Simon (UCL) ”Nothing is but what is not”: historical authenticity in the theatre 1700–1850’.
Tickets: Standard £25 | Students £17.50
(Includes rosewater spritz, exhibition entry, and lecture.)
---
In the theatre, historical authenticity was a long time coming. After the Restoration in 1660, Shakespeare’s plays were rewritten. Sets bore few indications of any specific date. Plays such as Macbeth were performed in contemporary court dress. It all began to change in the second half of the 18th century, under the influence of antiquarians such as John Carter…
Robin Simon is Editor of The British Art Journal and Honorary Professor in the Department of English, University College London. He has just retired as Chairman of the Works of Art Committee of the Garrick Club. His most recent book is Shakespeare, Hogarth and Garrick: Plays, Painting and Performance (2023).
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