Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition is the world's largest exhibition devoted to Shakespeare and the London in which he lived and worked. Housed beneath the reconstructed Globe Theatre on London's Bankside, the exhibition explores the remarkable story of the Globe, and brings Shakespeare's world to life using a range of interactive displays and live demonstrations.
Visitors to the exhibition can discover how shows were produced in the theatres of Shakespeare's time, from writing and rehearsals to music, dance and performance. There are opportunities to learn about the traditional crafts and techniques used during the process of rebuilding the Globe; to find out how special effects were produced in Shakespeare's time, to listen to recordings from some of the most memorable Shakespearean performances ever, or join the cast and add your own voice to a scene recorded by Globe actors; to create your own Shakespearean phrases in the word jungle; to watch a sword-fighting display and browse the costume collection, where you can learn about the extraordinary methods used in creating clothes 400 years ago.
A visit to the Exhibition includes a guided tour of the theatre where expert guide-storytellers provide fascinating half hour tours of the auditorium, taking visitors on a journey through time back to Elizabethan London as well as the reconstruction process of the 1980's-90's and how the wooden 'o' works today as an imaginative and experimental theatrical space.
An exhibition visit and theatre tour lasts about one and a half hours. Information sheets are available in English, large print, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Chinese and Japanese.
NB: There is no access to the theatre during matinee performances. Visitors will be taken to the nearby archaeological site of the Rose Theatre, Bankside's first playhouse.
Kensington Palace unveils a palace of secret stories and public lives. Visitors arrive through beautiful landscaped gardens evoking a past when Kensington was countryside. From the entrance hall start your journey through the magnificent Kings and Queen’s State Apartments. Filled with stories of two royal courts; the Stuarts and the Hanoverians, learn what you would have worn, how you should behave and how to succeed in the heady atmosphere of the palace state apartments.
The Queen's State Apartments
Explore these intimate, private rooms created for Queen Mary II, who ruled jointly with her husband, King William III, in the 17th century.
The Queen’s rooms
The Queen's Staircase, little changed since its construction in 1690, is deliberately plainer than the King's. Mary would have glided down its steps to reach her beloved gardens, created in the Dutch style, through the door at its foot.
Diana: Her Fashion Story
‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’ will trace the evolution of the Princess’s style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. From her earliest royal engagements, everything Diana wore was closely scrutinised, and the exhibition will explore how she navigated her unique position in the public eye: learning to use her image to engage and inspire people, and to champion the causes she cared about.
Discover exquisite and celebrated outfits from throughout the Princess’s public life. The exhibition will bring together an extraordinary collection of garments, ranging from the glamorous evening gowns worn on engagements in the 1980s, to the chic Catherine Walker suits that made up Diana’s ‘working wardrobe’ in the 1990s. The Princess’s relationship with her favourite designers will be explored through a display of some of their original fashion sketches, created for her during the design process.
Exhibition highlights will include the pale pink Emanuel blouse worn for Diana’s engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981, and Victor Edelstein’s iconic ink blue velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta. A blue tartan Emanuel suit, worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, will go on display in public for the first time. The suit, a rare survival of the Princess’s daywear, was only recently rediscovered and acquired by Historic Royal Palaces – the charity responsible for Kensington Palace - at auction.
* Please note, this exhibit is due to be very popular, queues are to be expected.
