New-York tribune., 1903-07-06
SHAKESPEARE'S STREET.
The Alleged Vandalism at Stratford-
On-AUOn Denied.

vandalism the birthplace OF ShaKespear"
made in England
At the beginning of this year was elected
trustee Of Shakespeare's birthplace an honor
which I highly appreciated. My interest," IN
Stratford is of old standing. The first book that
I published-now near two decades ago-dealt
with the towns early history and associations
More recent Shakespearian researches nave IN
tensified my regard for the place and It's 1T
TO those traditions that 1 accepted the ONCE OF
trustee and 1 hope to fulfil my responsibilities
in the like temper
Within a few days of my election as trustee
or the birthplace I had to leave England to
fulfil a series Of long standing engagements in
America, whence I am just returned. Rumors
reached me in America that my fellow trustees
proposed to remove alter various buildings
adjoining Shakespeare's birthplace, and that
public opinion was, on literary and artistic
grounds, strongly excited by this course of &C
ton.
AS soon as arrived home I made careful in
quiry into the origin Of these rumors. learned
that for some months past the trustees had been
constant objects of denunciation by persons
who, from various point of view, claimed inter
est in the affairs of Stratford. After due in
Vestigation OF the circumstances, have now as
sured myself that the public has been misled
on almost all the essential points. Spasmodic
endeavors have been made to remove the mis-
conceptions from the public mind. But they
persist in many quarters. 1 believe II to be TO
the public advantage and in the interests of
truth to set forth clearly the full facts of the
case. The public may then be in a position to
form q judgment on the subject which shall be
nnaL But it should be understood that take
Put briefly and stripped of flowers of speech,
the charges alleged against the trustees were
Lonly bent on destroying the historic aspect Of
Henley-St, in which Shakespeare's birthplace
stands by arranging for the demolition of
houses OF historic interest, which had lately
come into their possession in the immediate
neighborhood of the birthplace Second the
trustees were accused of conspiring with the
corporation Of Stratford-on-AVon to apply to
the purposes of a free public library another
nulIdlng OF ancient date which situated in
in Nl init 80
place. The trustees action was described as
'iconoclastic" and ''barbarous" as "a serious
piece OF vandalism involving dissertation" and
spoliation' of historic edifces 1t was made a
further ground Of objection that the contem-
p plated changes owed their origin to the inter
Venuon or Andrew Carnegie. That gentleman
had not only purchased the houses adjoining the
birthplace for presentation to the trustees, but
ndo also undertaken the expense of providing
Stratford with a public library. It would be an
Impertnence to dwell on this part of the theme
NO right minded person can fail to resent the
Introduction Of Mr.. Carnegie's name into the
controversy in other than appreciative terms
a. Nar. Carneg1es action was taken in characters
ucally generous response to applications which
reached him from the town. He attached no
conditions to his gifts which were manifestIy
It's literary aSSocia atoms
Two separate issues have been raised in the
st SIFIe, 5 ana nave not always been kept adequate
~ uIsuhct Inc trustees Of the birthplace as
constituted by the act of Parliament of 1891
form form a body that is quite Independent of the
corporation or Stratford The act gives the
corporation a large representation on the board
OF trustees, but each body has its own statu
tory functions
In regard to the present issues. the trustees
are solely concerned with the fate of the cot
ages oases IN immediate proximity to the birthplace
eaToen' which were purchased by Mr. CarnepIa
Tor presentation to them. The second IsSIe
touches the fate Of another building which al
tnough 1t adJoins this newly acquired nronertv
OF the trustees belongs to the cOrpora tion ana
mas. In the exercise of that body's excIuSiva 1iS
ereelon been appropriated by it to the projected
li9e HoTary But l wish to cover the whole
neld of the discussion and therefore am nre
pared to deal with the corporations action in
regard TO the library, at the same time as 7
draw attention to the misunderstanding. which
lays such action at the trustees door
Some knowledge of the past history and pres
ent condition of Henley-st., in which stand
Shakespeare's birthplace and all the buildings
involved in the dispute, is essential to a just
view of the situa ton. The trustees are charged
by Miss Coreli with neglecting to preserve 'the
present irregular beauty of historic Henley-st."
AS recently last month she wrote that 'if
the proposed alterations carried out not
scrap of the original side of Henley-st as thou
sands of pilgrims have known and seen it will
remain" One critic described the street "a
thing or peculiar value, which, once changed
will be lost forever Let Shakespeare's
street alone!' cried another. Leave the sacred
side of Henley-st. uncontaminated by modern
bricks and mortarr'
These adjurations may be admirable in senti-
ment But the rernorseless hand of time robbed
them Of practical significance or of relevance to
the present issue than a hundred years
ago. Henley-st Is undoubtedly one of the oldest
in the town. Its records date from the Middle
Ages. But no part of Stratford underwent more
frequent and more complete renovation between
the date of Shakespeare's death and the end of
the last century. AS the little Eliza bethan
! Jacobean houses of timber and rough-cast fell
| in the course of ages into decay they were from
time to time replaced by new structures, usually
wholly of brick. More than sixty houses form
the street. The owners (of all but two three,
belonging to the corporation) private per-
sons in humble circumstances who naturally
carried out the needful renOvations with a sole
| regard to economy, and with no consciousness Of
sentimental considerations. As a result the
street, with the exception of one short strip,
| has long been lined by low, featureless brick
| fronted tenements ranging in date through all
the decades of the nineteenth century. One large
section on the side of the street almost directly
| opposite to Shakespeare's birthplace. is barely
four years old. Its architecture is of obtrusively
suburban type. In some instances. when the
buildings fell to ruin and reconstruction became
| inevitable the interior timber supports were
| retained in order to save expense, and relics of
ancient workmanship Of no very romantic char
acter were by economic accident and by
archaeological design incorporated in the recon-
structed edifces But even here. new fiat brick
fronts fashioned entirely of modern material,
invariably displaced the old timber facades,
with their overhanging stories.
It Is common knowledge that Shakespeare's
birthplace with the adjoining house. which was
also his fathers property, is now distinguished
(among other things) from the rest of the street
by enjoying permanent protection from the vi
cissitudes to which its neighbors have always
been liable. But Shakespeare's birthplace, as
1t is now. is no survival from Shakespeare's
day. The structure had suffered experiences
very like those Of its neighbors before 1t
purchased for the public in 1S4I. Some thirty
years earlier half of it was furnished with
brand new brick front. and the timber facade
concealed and damaged. The present exterior
is the outcome of thoroughgoing reconstruc-
ton which Conformed to a sketch made in 1TSS
houses each side of it. despite the fact that
they in part of sixteenth and seventeenth
century construction, demolished at the
date of the restoration, and their sites left va
cant. However necessary such 'spoiaton' was,