[Sign 1]
William Shakespeare and the Globe
Here stood the Globe Theatre, first home to many of the celebrated plays of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Built in 1599*, the Globe soon became the most popular theatre of its day and witnessed the first performances of some of the greatest works of English literature, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.

Documentary evidence suggests that from 1599 William Shakespeare lived for a while in Southwark near the Globe Theatre, possibly in the house which is known to have adjoined it. As a shareholder in a professional company, the ’Chamberlain’s Men’ (later the ’King’s Men’), Shakespeare would have been closely involved in all aspects of the life of the theatre, and would probably have performed in many of the productions staged here.

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.

* Based on the Gregorian Calendar

’Can this Cock-Pit hold
The vastie fields of France? Or may we cramme Within this Woodden O, the very Caskes That did affright the Ayre at Agincourt?’

Henry the Fifth, Prologue

[Painting of London in Shakespeare’s time]

[Sign 2]
The Globe Theatre
In the final years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, the Bankside area of Southwark was a vibrant place characterised by playhouses, bear-baiting arenas, alchouses and riverside stews or brothels.

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 the thatched roof; the theatre 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. Hollar’s ’Long View’ of London circa 1640 (shown below) shows the rebuilt Globe and its two adjoining houses, but has mistakenly transposed the theatre’s name and that of the ’Berre bayting’ arena closer to the river. The Globe flourished once again, until its demolition after 1644.

’Nothing did perish, but wood and straw, and a few forsuken cloaks. Only one man had his breeches set on fire, that would perhaps have broiled him, if he had not by the benefit of a provident wit put it out with bottle ale’

Extract from a letter by Sir Henry Worton, 1st July 1613,
recalling the fire at the Globe.

[Lower image: Illustration of London from 1640]

[Top Image: Gold ring discovered during excavations at the Rose Theatre]

[Map of the area]

[Sign 3]
Excavations at the Globe Theatre
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 theatre surviving (see below).

These remains, part of the north-eastern section of the polygonal theatre, consisted of a series of chalk and brick foundations and appear to represent the foundations of parallel gallery walls. To the east of these foundations is a brick structure which is thought to be the base of a stair turret and may correspond with that shown in Hollar’s ’Long View’.

Other remains may be the foundations of two cross walls, running between the inner and outer gallery walls, and similar to those discovered at the nearby Rose Theatre in 1989. Further remains of the theatre may also survive beneath the Anchor Terrace building (to your right).

’All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women meerly Players;
They have their Exits and their Entrances; And one man in his time playes many parts’

As You Like It II vii


[Images from top to bottom and left to right]
[top left]
Both sides of a token found at the site, dated 1625 and the initials of the maker RW. The token has no other precise parallel in Britain.

[bottom left]
Right: the back and front views of coins of the period found at the Rose Theatre site.

Below: Museum of London excavations at the Globe Theatre in 1989, showing the extent of the remains preserved on the site.

[middle let]
Reconstruction of the stair turret and outer gallery wall

[Sign 4]
The Globe Today
From where you stand you can see the outer edge of the semi-circular granite cobblestones, delineated in brick, which denotes the limit of the area scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 1989 under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Within the granite cobbled area you can see the cobblestones set in a different colour to represent the exact location of the archaeological remains of the Globe Theatre uncovered in 1989. The ’Late Georgian’ (1834) Grade II listed building of your right. Anchor Terrace stands to your right.

The remains lie approximately two metres below the present ground surface and are protected by a specialy designed preservation system. The materials used will allow natural movement of ground water (which protects the remains) and will prevent any contamination from ground level. The system is designed to preserve this part of this internationally important site.

’Our revels now are ended:
These our actors,
(As I foretold you)
were all Spirits, and Are melted into Ayre, into thin Ayre.
And like the baselesse fabricke of this vision,
The Clowd-capt Towres, the gorgeous Pallaces, The solemne Temples, the great Globe it selfe, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And like this insubstantiall Pageant faded
Leave not a racke behinde: we are such stuffe and our little life
As dreames are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleepw

The Tempest IV.i

[Map of the area]

HOLLYBOOK
musuem of LONDON

The signs are located on the site of the Globe Theatre, the theatre built for the theatre company that William Shakespeare was part of.

The location of the sign was photographed on the same day Click for a larger image

The following images show the rest of the signs, and the images on them are shown enlarged

[Sign 1]
Portrait of Shakespeare Click for a larger image
Drawing of London from Shakespeare’s time Click for a larger image

[Sign 2]
The Sign Click for a larger image
Drawing of London from 1640 (on the drawing the place where the theater was (and mistakenly marked as Berre bayting) is marked with a circle) Click for a larger image
The gold ring found at the Rose Theatre Click for a larger image
Map of the area Click for a larger image

[Sign 3]
The Sign Click for a larger image
Image above left - Coin found at the site Click for a larger image
Images below left - Coins found at the Rose Theatre site Click for a larger image
British Museum excavations in the area in 1989 Click for a larger image
Picture in the middle right - reconstruction of the tower and gallery wall Click for a larger image

[Sign 4]
The Sign Click for a larger image

There is also another sign at the site indicating that the Globe Theatre was here Click for sign's details