Globe’s patron Duke

SIR – In the Eighties, Sam Wanamaker was struggling to find money to build the Globe Theatre in Southwark, near the site of the original Globe.

A small group assembled every month in a dilapidated building by the river as Wanamaker sought to bolster our spirits with his plans. But there was no money. The National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and successive arts ministers had all pooh-poohed the idea.

Wanamaker never lost faith. He believed there was a man who might find the whole quirky idea attractive. He sought an interview with the Duke of Edinburgh – who agreed to sponsor the theatre. As Wanamaker was leaving, the Duke said: “They’re chopping down some oaks in Windsor. Any use to you?” With his name on the letterhead, money began to arrive. The sums from America were very large.

Luckily the Lottery arrived and supported the Globe’s application. But in the trickier days, the Duke’s support proved invaluable. Sam Wanamaker had given his life and health to the project. He died before the building was complete. But the Duke came to the opening and brought the Queen. It was his involvement that flicked the switch of enthusiasm for the project. Keith Baxter Bosham, West Sussex