Shaw's Corner was the primary residence of the renowned Irish playwright
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
; it is now a
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
property open to the public as a
writer's house museum
Writers' homes (sometimes writer's, author's or literary houses) are locations where writers lived. Frequently, these homes are preserved as historic house museums and literary tourism destinations, called writer's home museums, especially when t ...
. Inside the house, the rooms remain much as Shaw left them, and the garden and Shaw's writing hut can also be visited. The house is an
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
Arts and Crafts movement, Arts and Crafts-influenced structure situated in the small village of Ayot St Lawrence, in Hertfordshire, England. It is 6 miles from Welwyn Garden City and 5 miles from Harpenden.
Built as the new rectory for the village during 1902, the house was the home of playwright George Bernard Shaw from 1906 until his death in 1950. It was designed by a local firm of architects, Smee, Mence & Houchin, and local materials were used in its construction. The Church of England decided that the house was too large for the size of the parish, and let it instead. Shaw and his wife Charlotte Payne-Townshend relocated in 1906, and eventually bought the house and its land in 1920, paying £6,220. At the same time the garden was extended and Shaw bought land from his friend Apsley Cherry-Garrard, bringing the total to .
Shaw is known to have written many of his major works in a secluded, home-built revolving hut located at the bottom of his garden.
The tiny structure of only , was built on a central steel-pole frame with a circular track so that it could be rotated on its axis to follow the arc of the Sun's light during the day.
Shaw dubbed the hut "London", so that unwanted visitors could be told he was away "visiting the Capital (political), capital".
After Shaw's and his wife's deaths, their ashes were taken to Shaw's Corner, mixed and then scattered along footpaths and around the statue of Saint Joan in their garden. In 1967 the house was designated a Listed building, Grade II* listed building.
Gallery
Image:Shaw's Corner (from the garden).jpg, Shaw's Corner from the garden
Image:Shaw's writing hut.jpg, Shaw's writing hut
Image:Shaw's Corner (the study).jpg, Shaw's study
Image:Shaw's Corner (another view of the study).jpg, Another view of Shaw's study
Image:Shaw's_Corner_at_Ayot_St_Lawrence.jpg, Garden
References
External links
Shaw's Corner- official site at National Trust
Collection of Shaw's Corner- the art and object collections of Shaw's Corner
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Arts and Crafts architecture in England
Buildings and structures in Ayot St Lawrence
Country houses in Hertfordshire
Biographical museums in Hertfordshire
George Bernard Shaw
Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire
Grade II* listed houses
Historic house museums in Hertfordshire
Houses completed in 1902
Literary museums in England
National Trust properties in Hertfordshire