ARLG London and South East Visit to the Shakespeare's Globe Library

I signed up for an ALRG London and South East visit to the Shakespeare's Globe library which I was very much looking forward to, as I missed out on a visit a couple of years ago. We met in the foyer and made our way to the library by going backstage, which was exciting in itself. The Library and Archive is in a temporary building, but in the next few years a purpose-built building is due to be constructed.

The Library and Archive services are staffed by a mixture of paid staff and volunteers. There is currently no librarian as the previous post-holder has recently left, but the archive staff were very helpful in explaining what was going on. The service is used mostly by academics as well as by those involved in Globe productions. Some actors are particular regulars.

The staff members got some things out for us to look at that emphasised the level of detail and research that went into the construction of the Globe over a number of years. My favourite was the letter from Eddie Redmayne to then-Artistic Director Mark Rylance, thanking him for the opportunity of performing at Middle Temple Hall but reluctantly declining to move with the production to the Globe as he wants to go back to university and finish his degree. There are other letters, pictures and legal records from the Globe's history, as well as books about theatres in Shakespeare's time.

I was really excited to get the chance to visit the library of one of my favourite places in London. Many thanks to ARLG London and South East for organising it.