St George's Guildhall

St George's Guildhall in King's Lynn is the largest surviving medieval guildhall in the country and one of the UK's oldest working theatres. The Guild of St George, a religious fellowship founded around 1376, acquired land reclaimed from the River Ouse in 1406, and its meeting hall was in use by 1428. A nativity play was staged before a Guild feast in 1445, and recent research supports the local tradition that Shakespeare himself played here with the Earl of Pembroke's Men in 1593, when plague had closed the London theatres. Later a courthouse, gunpowder store, playhouse and warehouse, it was derelict by 1945, when Alexander Penrose bought it to prevent its demolition, and it was given to the National Trust in 1951. The Grade I listed building is leased to the borough council, and the main theatre is currently closed for a major restoration. Reviewers say a visit is still worthwhile for the small interpretation space, the display boards and the volunteer guides, who explain the work and the floorboards linked to Shakespeare. Only assistance dogs are admitted.