European boost for £30m Shakespeare theatre project

St George's in King's Lynn is England's oldest working theatre, dating back to the 15th Century

A European foundation has pledged €1m (about £871,000) to support the renovation of a 15th Century theatre where William Shakespeare is believed to have performed.

The work on the St George's Guildhall in King's Lynn, Norfolk, is costed at £30.5m.

The local council has said it could end up borrowing £16m to pay for the project, although the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung foundation based in Hamburg, Germany, has pledged its support.

Baroness Natalie Evans of Bowes Park, chairwoman of the Guildhall charity, said "we are extremely grateful" for the "generous support".

"It will ensure the restoration of England's oldest working theatre and create a vibrant cultural hub for west Norfolk and beyond," she said.

Work to renovate St George Guildhall - which dates back to 1445 - has uncovered connections to Shakespeare.

The theatre claims it has documents showing the Bard was on stage at the venue in 1592 or 1593, when the plague shut theatres in London.

In July 2025, the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk approved plans to redevelop the site into an international visitor attraction and arts venue.

The government will fund £10m of the project, while Historic England is also donating £720,000 for the roof restoration.

The St George's Guildhall - pictured centre - has received a large donation from the foundation in Germany

The foundation in Hamburg was established in the 1980s by Hermann‑Hinrich Reemtsma who came to live in King's Lynn.

His son, Bernhard Reemtsma, chairman of the foundation, said: "We are delighted that our foundation is able to carry out charitable work in the place where my father, myself and, more recently, the foundation, have been active in agriculture for many years."

The foundation has made grants to other projects in England, including the renovation of Shropshire's Iron Bridge and the Warburg Institute in central London.

The group supports cultural projects at merchant guilds and towns in Europe which are part of the Hanseatic League.

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