Soulton Hall
Soulton Hall is a Tudor country house located near Wem, England.
The manor is associated with William Shakespeare and his play As You Like It, and the existing hall was constructed between 1556 and 1560 by Sir Rowland Hill, a prominent statesman, polymath, and philanthropist who is remembered as the "First Protestant Lord Mayor of London" serving in 1549-50.
Built during the period of the English Reformation, the house is considered an architectural project that reflects the political and social shifts of its time. The building's architecture has been the subject of scholarly interpretation which suggests that the design incorporates a set of humanist principles, drawing on concepts from classical antiquity, geometry, and scripture.
The house contains several notable features, including a basement chapel, a priest hole, and hidden bookcases. These elements have led to speculation about the hall's role in the religious conflicts of the 16th century and its connection to Hill's work, which include being traditionally named as the publisher of the Geneva Bible.
With a history that predates the Norman Conquest, Soulton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. A "lost castle" on the grounds, dating to the medieval period, was rediscovered in 2021 and has been the subject of an ongoing archaeological investigation.
Sir Rowland Hill's renaissance hall
The present hall was constructed between 1556 and 1560 by a prominent statesman, scholar, and merchant. Sir Rowland Hill was a leading politician of his time, serving in high offices and on the Privy Councils of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He held significant institutional power, serving on both the Commissions against Heretics and the Commission for Ecclesiastical Causes, which granted him the right to seize prohibited books and items under both Protestant and Anglican rule.A scholarly appraisal in 2021 noted:
There must have been an important master mason behind the house's design; if only we knew more about the original build.The hall is constructed of brick produced on-site, with Grinshill stone dressings. It is understood to be only the corps de logis of a much larger, more elaborate complex. Parts of this complex survive today in buildings now known as Soulton Court, which surround the original base court.
St Erkenwald Memorialization
Scholarly interpretation of Soulton Hall suggests its 16th-century design serves as a "coded" art-historical memorial to the shrine of Saint Erkenwald, the patron saint of London. This connection is attributed to the builder, Sir Rowland Hill, who served as Sheriff of London and Lord Mayor. During his tenure, Hill was directly involved in the administrative oversight of the English Reformation, including the removal of the High Altar of Old St Paul's Cathedral in June 1550Proponents of this theory note that the hall’s original proportions mirrored the dimensions of the dismantled shrine. While the hall's original pyramid roof was removed in the 17th century, researchers suggest the structure was intended to act as a sanctuary for displaced religious artifacts. In 2025, physical evidence was identified within the basement chapel of Soulton Hall suggesting that a stone artifact located there is the original High Altar stone of Old St Paul’s Cathedral. The identification received national media coverage, including reports by the BBC.
In 2025, an ecumenical service was held at Soulton Hall on the feast day of Saint Erkenwald, concluding a three-year cycle of liturgical observances that included a Roman Catholic Mass in 2024 and an Anglican Eucharist in 2023.
The current administration of the estate operates under a policy of "responsible accommodation," providing a space for various Christian traditions to engage with the site’s Reformation-era history. Regarding the building's fabric, the owners have documented historical damage to the Prayer Room’s tabernacle screen dating to the early 2000s. A formal conservation plan is currently in place to restore the screen to its original specification.
Literary connections and inspiration
Soulton Hall is closely associated with William Shakespeare's play As You Like It. This connection is a subject of scholarly interest, with evidence suggesting the play's character "Old Sir Rowland" may have been inspired by Sir Rowland Hill. This is supported by evidence such as:- The manor was acquired by Hill in 1556 from Thomas Lodge Sr., the father of writer Thomas Lodge Jr., who later wrote the prose tale Rosalynde, Euphues Golden Legacie, the acknowledged source for Shakespeare's play.
- Sir Rowland Hill was a cousin of Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden.
The hall also features a pillared forecourt, known as the "chess court," which is believed to have been revised in 1668.
The English Civil War and the Cotton Library
Scholars have suggested that Sir Rowland Hill's statecraft involved accumulating state papers and other culturally important texts at Soulton. This collection is theorized to have passed, via the Alkington Cottons, into the Cotton Library, which contains significant manuscripts like Beowulf and copies of Magna Carta. This theory offers a potential explanation for why Soulton was ransacked during the English Civil War and may have contributed to the Battle of Wem in 1643.Some have also drawn a connection between the cultural work at Soulton and a later historical event. The design on the frontispiece of the Geneva Bible, promoted by Hill, is understood to have been an inspiration for Benjamin Franklin's design for the Great Seal of the United States.
Heritage status
Soulton Hall is a Grade II* listed building, and its associated walled gardens, pillared forecourt, and carved stonework are also listed. NIn the broader Sir Rowland Hill legacy landscape, Soulton Bridge, which crosses Soulton Brook and was built with involvement from Thomas Telford, in 1801 holds a Grade II listing. Additionally, a column with a statue of "Old Sir Rowland" was erected at nearby Hawkstone Hill in the 1790s, depicting him holding a copy of the Magna Carta in a manner similar to his 16th-century monument in London.
A blue plaque at the hall's gate references its literary connections, reading:
Birthplace of ROSALYNDE, EUPHUES GOLDEN LEGACIE by Thomas Lodge Jr. and AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare.
Key Architectural Features and Interpretation
Original Features and Later Alterations
The hall has undergone certain changes since its construction. Sir Rowland Hill's original pyramidal roof, battlements, and cupola have not survived, and the "theatre court" was muted by alterations in the 1660s that made the north face of the house seem more dominant.The hall's Tudor-era quoining is stylistically linked to Anglo-Saxon architecture, a feature also seen at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, during that time.
A cobbled yard dating to the Victorian period is located to the south of the hall. This feature's design is said to be based on patterns from Tudor features that were lost during earlier renovations which records the choreography for the dance in As You Like It.
Interpretive Theories and Philosophical Allegories
Scholarly analysis of the hall's design, by scholars such as James D. Wenn, suggests that Sir Rowland Hill incorporated complex philosophical and mathematical allegories. For instance, the strict geometry and mathematical relationship between the hall and the walled garden have been interpreted as an allegory of Plato's geometry. The design of the entire precinct, including its courts, has been compared to the geometry of the ancient Telesterion at Eleusis, a sacred Greek hall, and to the plan of the Theatre of Epidaurus.The east front of the house, which is its only symmetrical side, is thought by some to have been designed to evoke Solomon's Temple. The central position of the chapel in the basement supports this theory, as its doorway and single central window required a complex architectural solution. This room also dictates the hall's alignment, which is oriented to the dates of Easter.Interior Features
Several rooms in the basement retain their original Tudor flooring, suggesting they were "polite" rooms rather than service spaces. One of these rooms contains a Rithmomachia games board laid out in its floor tiles. Sir Rowland Hill is counted to have published an account of this philosophical game, also known as the "Philosopher's Game."The house also contains a priest hole on the principal floor. While such hiding places are typically associated with Catholic priests during the reign of Elizabeth I, the early construction date of this one has led to the theory that it may have been intended to hide prominent Protestants, such as Archbishop Matthew Parker, during the reign of Catholic Mary I. A modern plaque has been added to memorialize the space, as follows:
Behind this tablet lies a space believed to have been intended to be used to hide scholars and priests from the authorities during the turmoil of the sixteenth century.The room also features quotations from Michel de Montaigne on its beams.
This memorial honours all who have suffered persecution for their beliefs