The installation, The Family Home Lost. was co-created by a team from Escape Arts, and facilitated by the fantastic museum team.
Transcript: The Family Home Lost to Time
This side of the panel ‘The Family Home Lost to Time’ shows us a scene from the gardens. It tells us that New Place was a busy family home and workplace for many. New Place has long since been demolished but the people of New Place are brought to life here.
The descriptions in this audio were co-created with a pan-disabled group involved in the curation of this exhibit.
In the middle of the panel a life-sized image of a man is seated on a tree stump. He has mid-length hair and is wearing a tightly fitting jacket. His clothes appear stiff. Around his neck is a decorative circle of stiff linen fabric called a ruff, material is gathered in folds to form a concertinaed shape which fitted tightly around the neck. On the panel, you can feel how this ruff is constructed and how it might feel against your skin. Wearing one restricts your head movement, and we imagine it might have felt restrictive or oppressive.
The man is William Shakespeare, his two daughters stand on either side of him. The elder daughter, Susanna, on our right, and slightly behind her father. William Shakespeare is poised in a fatherly fashion, looking at his younger daughter, Judith, who is standing to on our left. He’s talking very passionately, perhaps telling his girls a story from his time in London or he might be reciting lines from a new play. William travelled between London and New Place. His arm is raised, as though he’s trying to describe something to his daughters. Both his daughters’ eyes are fixed on their father’s face, they appear pleased and excited.
The two children are wearing head coverings. This type of head covering is called a coif. It was made from linen, and it’s a cap which covers all of their hair. Their clothes would all be made from natural materials. The children would wear hardwearing wool dresses. You can feel Judith’s dress on the panel, can you imagine how heavy the dress would be? Under the wool dresses, they would wear linen shifts, these underdresses would protect their skin from the stiff, rough material.
Transcript: A day in the life
As you follow around the panel there are two other people to meet. Two women are standing beside each other; they appear to be in conversation. Both are dressed smartly, there’s a suggestion of the outline of New Place behind them. They are talking in an animated fashion. Perhaps both women have met outside the house in the courtyard.
Both women are wearing wide brimmed hats and appear dressed for the outdoors. Although they are smartly dressed, there’s a clear difference in their garments. The woman on the left has decorative details on her sleeves and a wider brimmed hat, this is Anne, ‘Mistress Shakespeare’, the wife of William Shakespeare. The other woman is wearing an apron and is holding a basket; she is one of the servants at New Place. Her basket is filled with vegetables, perhaps she is showing her mistress the goods she has bought at the market. Anne is gesturing towards the basket, maybe she wants to take the basket from her servant, or perhaps she’s showing praise for the selection. The basket’s handle is made of willow, which has been weaved to construct the handle.
They are in the garden, but it we imagine it was more of a working yard. It would still have had some ornate bits, but there would have been a working garden for the kitchen, with vegetables and herbs. There would also have been animals walking around, and so they would have created a smell and noise. We also imagine the busy sounds coming from the people and goings on in the streets surrounding the house.
Transcript: Discover New Place’s Lost Interiors
In this panel, ‘Discover New Place’s Lost Interiors’, we have entered the house. We have to rely on different sources to get a feeling of what the experience living inside New Place might have felt like. You are standing within an imagined re-creation of a room inside New Place. This room was the hall; it was a multi-purpose space for the whole family and their visitors to enjoy.
The descriptions in this audio were co-created with a pan-disabled group involved in the curation of this exhibit.
The room would be hazy due to the light from the candles and fire. On colder days, there would be a crackle from the fire, punctuated by the sounds from the street and bells from the nearby Guild Chapel. Try smelling the scent in the canister by the fire. Imagine that filling the space. Above the fireplace is proudly displayed the Shakespeare Coat of Arms. There is a large shield with a diagonal band across the centre. Within this band is a spear, which reflects the family’s name.
There are different materials covering the walls Wooden panelling surrounds the fireplace. You can run your fingers over it on the panel in front of you. t would be symbolic of status and was polished. We wonder if there might have been secret panels and hiding places behind them.
Panelling was expensive so other materials were also used to provide decoration and warmth. Painted cloths cover the other wall. These were coarse but the paint would be smooth to the touch. What does the one on the panel feel like?
In front of the painted cloth, on the right of the panel, there’s a carved piece of furniture. It is a cupboard with two doors to the front; it stands on four legs. On the top of the cupboard there are items on display, to guests as the enter the house. You can touch these items
There’s a decorative stoneware jug. It’s coloured using different coloured glazes, which are used to pick out the details. There’s an impression of initials, perhaps this was the maker or who it was originally made for. The coloured glazes are reminiscent of dark skies and dull days. Pieces of this type of stoneware were found during archaeological digs on the site.
There’s a ceramic plate. It is the colour of moss or a forest. It is about the same size as a modern side plate. It has a recess to hold food, which is the depth of a thumb. Only the front side of the plate is glazed and smooth under our fingers, the reverse is rough and is the colour of the earth.
There’s a large metal pewter plate;it is quite heavy to hold. It reminds us of a UFO or a small round shield. It shines as it catches the light, and is silver coloured.
You can explore the objects inside the cupboard. These might have been owned by members of the Shakespeare family. There’s a wooden object; it is simply carved and looks like a skittle. It would actually have been a doll. Judith Shakespeare may have made clothes for one just like this from scraps of material. There’s a face that has been drawn onto this one, we wonder if Judith would have done the same to hers. Although some of us find it a little spooky!
You’ll also find a money pot. It’s quite large, the size of a large orange. It’s very smooth. It has a grainy/speckled appearance, a bit like a duck egg. There’s a detail on the top which is like a button. It’s made of clay and there’s a slot to allow people to insert money. It was designed to be functional and practical and held in the hand by gatherers – the people who took entrance fees at the theatres. William’s fortune was made using pots like these.
There’s a pewter metal spoon, perhaps ready to lay the table. It feels hard wearing; solidly and simply made. It’s dull, not as shiny as the large plate on the shelf. The handle is slightly bent, perhaps the user was heavy handed. It smells like old coins, and leaves a smell on our fingers. Pewter spoons were given as christening gifts, can you imagine how big this spoon would feel to a baby?
Intervention Design and Project Management: Barker Langham
Build: Reeves and Bond
Scent Development/Consultation: AVM Curiosities