Editing Sheldonian Theatre (section)

==History==
[[File:Sheldonian Theatre Interior, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of the theatre ]]
What came to be known as the Sheldonian Theatre was Wren's second work and was commissioned by Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury. With the triumph of the [[English Restoration|Restoration]] and with it the [[Church of England]], [[John Fell (bishop)|Dean Fell]], [[vice-chancellor]] of the university, sought to revive a project proposed in the 1630s by the late [[William Laud]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]: a separate building whose sole use would be graduation and degree ceremonies.

In the past these increasingly rowdy occasions had taken place in the [[University Church of St Mary the Virgin]], in the High Street. "The notion that 'sacrifice is made equally to God and [[Apollo]]', in the same place where homage was due to God and God alone, was as repugnant to Fell and his colleagues as it had been to Laud";<ref name="Tinniswood">[[Adrian Tinniswood|Tinniswood, Adrian]], ''His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren'' (Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 102</ref> with this in mind they approached the Archbishop of Canterbury Gilbert Sheldon, for his blessing, his assistance, and a donation.

Sheldon was forthcoming with all three. He initially gave an impressive £1,000 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|1000|1663}}}} today) and pledged to gather the needed money from like-minded sponsors. He had little luck, however, and ultimately financed nearly the entire £14,470 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|14470|1663}}}} today) himself, in an age where a mid-level craftsman's wage was typically between £2 and £4 per year.

Wren's initial designs for the Sheldonian probably included a [[proscenium]] stage that did not survive his revisions. The building that was constructed was a sharp, unmistakable break from the Gothic past. According to Wren's son, Wren designed the Sheldonian based on [[Serlio]]'s sixteenth-century engraving of the D-shaped [[Theatre of Marcellus]] erected in Rome in the first century BC.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Geraghty|first=Anthony|title=Wren's Preliminary Design for the Sheldonian Theatre|journal=Architectural History|year=2002|volume=45|pages=275–288| doi=10.2307/1568785 | jstor=1568785 }}</ref>

Like any Mediterranean theatre of that time, the Theatre of Marcellus had no roof: the audience relied on a temporary awning for inclement weather. But 17th century Oxford was not ancient Rome, and the Theatre needed a permanent roof. The span of the D-shaped roof was over {{convert|70|ft|m}}. However, no timbers existed that were long enough to cross that distance, and Wren dismissed the obvious solution of a Gothic roof. Instead, he decided to use the "[https://www.soue.org.uk/souenews/issue4/wallis.html geometrical flat floor]" grid developed twenty years before by Oxford professor [[John Wallis]].

It involved

<blockquote>...{{nbsp}}creating a series of trusses which were built up from shorter section[s] and held in place by their own weight, with help from judiciously placed iron bolts and plates{{nbsp}}... [S]o effective [was the roof] that for nearly a century the University Press stored its books{{nbsp}}... and for many years it was the largest unsupported floor in existence{{nbsp}}...<ref name="Tinniswood" /></blockquote>

In 1720, surveyors inspecting the roof, following a rumour that it was no longer safe, were both surprised and impressed at what they discovered.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7501682.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=The facts and a good story | date=12 July 2008 | access-date=23 May 2010}}</ref> Though sagging slightly from the massive weight of books, the inspectors pronounced that "...{{nbsp}}the whole Fabrick of the said Theatre is, in our Opinion, like[ly] to remain and continue in such Repair and Condition, for one hundred or two hundred Years yet to come."<ref>Wren, Christopher, Jr., ''Parentalia''. p. 337.</ref>

[[File:Ceiling fresco centrepiece, Sheldonian Theatre, University of Oxford, by Robert Streater, 1670.jpg|thumb|upright|Ceiling fresco painted by [[Robert Streater]]]]

In November 2008 a four-year project to restore the ceiling fresco was completed. The thirty-two oil on canvas panels originally painted by [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]]’s court painter, [[Robert Streater]], were removed and conserved. As part of the conservation process, the panels had their linings replaced, holes in the canvas mended, and over-painting removed. The allegorical story depicted in the paintings shows Truth descending upon the Arts and Sciences and expelling ignorance from the university.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/081107.html |title=Sheldonian Theatre ceiling completed |access-date=15 November 2008 |publisher=University of Oxford website |date=7 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212024240/http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/081107.html |archive-date=12 December 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In May 2024, during the [[Gaza war protests in the United Kingdom]], the Sheldonian Theatre played centre stage for Oxford University students, who listed their Gaza demands there, in reaction to civilian deaths.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-05-09 |title=Gaza protests: Oxford University students deliver Gaza demands |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68980113 |access-date=2024-11-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Protesters later blocked the path of graduation ceremonies taking place at the theatre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooker |first=Alice |date=2024-05-18 |title=Gaza Die-In is a "Direct Response to University's Inaction" |url=https://theoxfordblue.co.uk/gaza-die-in/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=The Oxford Blue |language=en-GB}}</ref>