In the year 1597 when Shakespeare bought New Place, the world looked pretty different: the clothing, the food, the buildings, the jobs - but also the world as people saw it in their heads. The way Shakespeare thought about the geography of the world was (almost certainly) really quite different from how you do today.
A sphere, wrought in metal will stand in the Golden Garden. Its axis doesn’t run North to South, but rather straight through Stratford-upon-Avon, putting New Place at the heart of Shakespeare’s Universe. Maker Rupert Todd said: “It’s a doorway to Shakespeare’s world view: the world as known by the court of Queen Elizabeth in 1600, and based upon the first English world map… The unknown world is dark and disturbing, while the known is bright and shining”
Your journey around Shakespeare’s New Place will show you the world as Shakespeare would have known it in lots of ways: this is just one of them.
Shakespeare’s New Place opens Summer 2016. Come and walk in Shakespeare's footsteps and meet the man behind the works in a fascinating new exhibition. Discover beautiful gardens and specially-commissioned artworks.
Find out more about Shakespeare's New Place.