Globe Line
The Globe Theatre was originally on Park Street, a short walk from the site of the rebuilt Globe Theatre. Find out more below...
From information boards at site (reproduced with permission):
In the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the Bankside area of Southwark was a vibrant place characterized by playhouses, bear-baiting arenas, alehouses and riverside stews or brothels.
This is the site of The Globe Theatre, the first home to many of the celebrated plays of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Built in 1599 (Gregorian calendar), the Globe soon became the most popular theater of its day and held the first performances of some of the greatest works of English literature, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
In 1599 Richard and Cuthbert Burbage with William Shakespeare and four other players leased two plots of land alongside Maiden Lane (now Park Street), on which, using the dismantled timbers of James Burbage's 'The Theatre' in Shoreditch, they built the Globe playhouse. The Globe soon became even more successful than its nearby rival, 'The Rose'. However, during a performance of Henry VIII on 29th June 1613 a stray spark from a cannon, fired as part of the performance, fell onto a thatched roof; the theater was burnt to the ground.
The Globe reopened in 1614, having been hurriedly rebuilt apparently on the same foundations, but with a tiled roof replacing the original thatch. The Globe flourished once again, until its demolition after 1644.
After Shakespeare's death, the Globe continued to be profitable to the company of players, but was finally demolished by order of Parliament under the Puritans, probably after 1644.
In 1989 the Museum of London carried out an archaeological evaluation on this site and uncovered the remains of a small part of the Globe Theatre, as well as other archaeological features and deposits.
The numerous later buildings that have stood on the site since the demolition of the Globe have severely damaged the archaeological remains, leaving only a small part of the theater surviving.
From this site you can see the outer edge of the semi-circular granite cobblestones which denotes the limit of the area scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 1989 under the terms of the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
From information boards at site (reproduced with permission):
In the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the Bankside area of Southwark was a vibrant place characterized by playhouses, bear-baiting arenas, alehouses and riverside stews or brothels.
This is the site of The Globe Theatre, the first home to many of the celebrated plays of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Built in 1599 (Gregorian calendar), the Globe soon became the most popular theater of its day and held the first performances of some of the greatest works of English literature, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
In 1599 Richard and Cuthbert Burbage with William Shakespeare and four other players leased two plots of land alongside Maiden Lane (now Park Street), on which, using the dismantled timbers of James Burbage's 'The Theatre' in Shoreditch, they built the Globe playhouse. The Globe soon became even more successful than its nearby rival, 'The Rose'. However, during a performance of Henry VIII on 29th June 1613 a stray spark from a cannon, fired as part of the performance, fell onto a thatched roof; the theater was burnt to the ground.
The Globe reopened in 1614, having been hurriedly rebuilt apparently on the same foundations, but with a tiled roof replacing the original thatch. The Globe flourished once again, until its demolition after 1644.
After Shakespeare's death, the Globe continued to be profitable to the company of players, but was finally demolished by order of Parliament under the Puritans, probably after 1644.
In 1989 the Museum of London carried out an archaeological evaluation on this site and uncovered the remains of a small part of the Globe Theatre, as well as other archaeological features and deposits.
The numerous later buildings that have stood on the site since the demolition of the Globe have severely damaged the archaeological remains, leaving only a small part of the theater surviving.
From this site you can see the outer edge of the semi-circular granite cobblestones which denotes the limit of the area scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 1989 under the terms of the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
