On Tuesday 22 March we were honoured to welcome one of the most distinguished Old Sennockians, Professor Jonathan Bate, to deliver a Sackville Lecture.

Prof Bate is one of the world’s leading authorities on Shakespeare, and he will shortly be moving from the University of Warwick, where he holds a Chair in Renaissance Literature, to assume the Provostship of Worcester College, Oxford. In 2012 Professor Bate will be co-curating a British Museum exhibition that will form part of Britain’s Cultural Olympiad, and it was this that inspired his lecture - London 1612: Shakespeare's Theatre of the World.

In a fascinating presentation, drawing on his masterly command of Shakespeare’s texts, Professor Bate used objects from the British Museum to cast light on references that have puzzled literary scholars and historians. Through the use of rare and fascinating examples of material culture to elucidate some of the mysteries of Shakespeare’s plays, Prof Bate produced a genuinely multi-disciplinary talk that ranged across literature, art and history. Professor Bate kindly responded to questions from the audience, and continued this discussion over lunch with the Head, Katy Ricks, and an enthusiastic group of staff and pupils.

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