Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence

The local villagers of Ayot St Lawrence were the originators of the name "Shaw's Corner" Shaw himself eventually adopted the name and had this gate made.

Born in 1856 in Dublin, Ireland, writer and playwright George Bernard Shaw lived in Ayot St Lawrence at a house now known as Shaw's Corner from 1906 until his death in 1950. It was while living here that most of his works were published, though he had already established himself as a playwright prior to moving to Ayot St Lawrence.



View of the House at Shaw's Corner from the Garden



While living in Ayot St Lawrence, Shaw constructed a small 64 sq foot hut, in his garden where he conducted most of his writing. A unique aspect of this writer's hut was that it was constructed on a circular track so that it could be rotated throughout the day to let in the most sunlight or change the view. While the alternative of simply having more windows seems practical, it's not nearly as cool.


In this view Shaw's writing hut you can see that it is somewhat elevated off the ground, and a portion of the circular track on which it rotates underneath.



Shaw's Corner, is open to the public and administered by National Trust. Activities at Shaw's Corner include tours of the house and garden. In the house you will find many of the literary and personal effects of Mr. Shaw. In the summer there are outdoor performances of Shaw's plays in the garden.


"The quality of a play is the quality of its ideas."
- George Bernard Shaw in "The Play of Ideas", New Statesman (6 May 1950)


The Inside of George Bernard Shaw's Writing Hut Where Many of His Most Famous Works were Written



Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence is about two miles to the west of Welwyn in Hertfordshire.

Standard admission prices at Shaw's Corner are £5.80 for adults, £2.90 for children, and £14.50 for families. Half-price admission is given to cyclists