Witchcraft and Wizardology Museum

The Witchcraft and Wizardology Museum in Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon is housed in a beautiful example of Elizabethan architecture that first appears in historical records in 1541. The building mentioned both by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Rupert Graves, is now the only remaining section of the famous White Lion Inn that still stands.

The Museum is a privately amassed collection of ephemera and articles that reflect on the history of Witchcraft and Wizardology from pre-Christian times to the present day. Concentrating on providing a fair and balanced viewpoint that remains family orientated whilst retaining the darker and more sinister aspects of human sacrifice and the Knights Templars link to the craft.

History of the Witchcraft and Wizardology Museum

Amassed over 40 years, this collection of articles, rituals and ephemera challenges the accepted stereotypes of witches whilst avoiding the standard "everything behind a glass case" approach. Encouraging a hands on approach to the more traditional aspects of witchcraft it provides a focal point for discussion and those seeking knowledge in a non threatening environment.

History of Number 21, Henley Street

In its heyday the White Lion Inn was considered to be on a par with some of the better eating establishments in London and was reported to offer “a bill of fare equal to that of the Piazza Coffee House”. In 1785 members of the household of the ill fated Monarch Louis XVI of France stayed here and in 1806 the Prince Regent (later George IV of the United Kingdom) stayed in specially prepared apartments. During the English Civil War the building was taken over by parliamentary soldiers who are said to haunt the upper levels to this very day whispering about secret plans.

The Garrick Jubilee of Shakespearean performances in 1769 came about because of an idea by John Payton, the landlord of the White Lion. Payton was a genuine Shakespeare enthusiast and a friend of the Shakespearian editor George Alexander Steevens. In 1768, when Steevens was staying at the White Lion, Payton invited some of his friends from the town corporation to meet him. The new Town Hall had just been finished and it was regretted that an open niche had been constructed on the north side of it without any prospect of obtaining a statue or even a bust to grace it. A statue of Shakespeare was suggested as the most fitting adornment and Steevens offered to persuade David Garrick to present one. The corporation elaborated on his suggestions by offering to confer on Garrick the freedom of the borough in a box made from the wood of Shakespeare's mulberry tree. This led Garrick not only to present a statue of Shakespeare, but to come down and organize a Shakespearian festival at Stratford.

It is also home to a much darker and more blood curdling secret. During the late 1700’s a series of very brutal attack took place on prostitutes in bedrooms on the upper floors of the Inn. These attacks have left an indelible spectral imprint on the building that can be sensed by mediums and sensitives to this very day.

The story goes that several women were brutally attacked and disemboweled by a dark and brooding figure known to be bearded, with a scar on his upper lip and wearing a tricorne hat. The tale takes a sinister turn when you consider that some 100 years later a series of similar attacks took place in Whitechapel, London by Jack the Ripper. Neither series of murders was ever solved.

Regularly described as one of the most haunted buildings in the country and visited by paranormal investigators, parapsychology groups and ghost hunters alike it continues to offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of the supernatural and the unknown.

External References to the White Lion Inn

[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=57015] [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=57017] [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-3222(195007)1%3A3%3C129%3ATGJAS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z] [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-1989(196205)14%3A2%3C135%3ATSJDTG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H] [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/other/html/dfostrat.html]

Museums in Warwickshire

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/museumhttp://www.cwn.org.uk/tourism/museums/index.html