Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare

David Garrick and his Wife by his Temple to Shakespeare at Hampton, Johan Zoffany, c. 1762
51°24′45″N 0°21′34″W / 51.4124°N 0.3594°W / 51.4124; -0.3594
Location	Hampton, London
Type	Folly
Material	Brick
Beginning date	1755
Completion date	1756
Dedicated to	William Shakespeare

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare is a small garden folly erected in 1756 on the north bank of the River Thames at Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Grade I listed,^[1] it was built by the actor David Garrick to honour the playwright William Shakespeare, whose plays Garrick performed to great acclaim throughout his career. During his lifetime Garrick used it to house his extensive collection of Shakespearean relics and for entertaining his family and guests. It passed through a succession of owners until coming into public ownership in the 1930s, but it had fallen into serious disrepair by the end of the 20th century. After a campaign supported by distinguished actors and donations from the National Lottery's "good causes" fund, it was restored in the late 1990s and reopened to the public as a museum and memorial to the life and career of Garrick. It is reputedly the world's only shrine to Shakespeare.^[2]