London - William Shakespeare’s birthplace could get security barriers after people stole the tiles from the porch roof.
As the home of Britain’s greatest playwright, it attracts more than 600 000 visitors a year. But some tourists leave Shakespeare’s Birthplace with not just a heightened sense of culture.
The trust that administers the 480-year-old building in Stratford-upon-Avon wants to move iron railings at the front 3ft (about 0.93m) into the street – to stop tourists stealing tiles from the porch roof. The 165-year-old railings are also in need of repair because visitors lean against them to take selfies.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has applied for council permission to make the change in time for the Bard’s 456th birthday on April 23. It also wants the railings moved back "for safety reasons" so it can install lights to illuminate the front of the Grade I-listed building at night.
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Residents accuse the trust of "ruining the spirit" of Shakespeare. Jenny Townsend, 68, said: "Why must we fence off the home of our nation’s most celebrated playwright? Part of the appeal is how close you can get."
Arthur Lock wrote on Facebook that moving the railings will make the street too narrow and in summer "crowds will be basically kettled into a mass scrum".