Happy Birthday Shakespeare!
It’s Shakespeare’s birthday - Friday 23 April 2021
OPT has the only building in Oxford with proper Shakespeare links, and what a special building it is. Hidden on the second floor, above Vodafone and Bet Fred bookmakers, in Cornmarket the Painted Room is all that remains of the 13th century Crown Tavern where Shakespeare’s friend, John Davenant, was the innkeeper, and he might stay on his trips between London and Stratford.
The first OPT Annual Shakespeare Parade happened in 1938 when leading Oxford figures from Town and Gown paraded from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour to the Painted Room to raise a toast to the ‘Immortal Bard’ in malmsey and sack, a sweet wine.
We may not be able to get together but that’s no reason not to celebrate!
We will be raising a virtual toast this Friday at 11.30am so why not do the same. Let us have your photos @oxfordprestrust or email to info@oxfordpreservation.org.uk with the chance for discounts and special tours to be won!
Why end the festivities there? We have plenty of activities and information on our website to keep celebrating Shakespeare all day!
On our website there’ll be a virtual tour of the Painted Room to enjoy, together with a range of family activities including make-your-own-cauldron-spell, write-your-own-sonnet and design-your-own-Painted-Room all free to download from home.
You can also find poems written by the talented pupils of Pegasus School who were inspired after their visit to the Painted Room (pre-COVID!)
A self-guided walk around Shakespeare’s favourite spots in Oxford is also available to download from our website, with a more in-depth Shakespeare trail available to purchase from our shop.
As lockdown rules begin to ease, we also have in-person guided tours of the Painted Room (and other OPT places!) available to book on our Events Page!
Happy Birthday Shakespeare!
OPT Discount Terms & Conditions:
To redeem your OPT Discount, your photograph/video toast must be sent on either Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or emailed to Oxford Preservation Trust, and the photograph must tag OPT in the caption.
Email: info@oxfordpreservation.org.uk
The photograph must be sent & tagged before 12pm on Friday 23 April 2021