Shakespeare Birthplace Trust says the fabric of Hall’s Croft, once the home of the writer’s daughter Susanna and her husband, has sustained “substantial damage” after a vehicle accidentally reversed into its side last week.
Although no one was hurt in the incident on Friday 17 October, the car damaged several 17th-century timbers and exposed the oldest parts of the house interior to the elements.
The trust says the police were immediately informed, and its estates and conservation teams took action to ensure the site was made safe, stable and secure.
The Grade I listed building is currently closed for conservation work to its lower floors and has not been fully open to the public since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Rachael North, chief executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said that the damage might “accelerate the need to move into the next wider phase of conservation requiring several millions of pounds of investment, which Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is unable to fund from its own resources”.
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“The costs of conservation are increasing rapidly, and the specialist skills required are in short supply,” North added.
“Incidents like Friday’s are a stark reminder of how vulnerable our heritage is, and how vital it is that we continue to invest in its protection.”
Hall’s Croft, once the second largest property in Stratford-upon-Avon, was on the verge of collapse when it was taken into custodianship in the late 1940s, but its popularity with visitors has placed stress on its ancient timbers.
As part of current conservation efforts, the University of Staffordshire is creating a 3D photographic model of the building, which will be used to inform targeted repairs and provide a permanent record of the state of the property.