London

LONDON
Although William Shakespeare worked in London

theatres, plays were performed outside London;
there was a theatre in Bristol, for example. Theatre
companies also toured the all over the country,
performing outdoors and in town halls. But
Shakespeare spent most of his working life in London.
Why London?
London was the biggest and richest city in England; it
was the home of the first permanent playhouses. Wealthy
traders and manufacturers and their workers lived
there. They had the money to go to the theatre. By 1600,
Londons theatre-goers numbered 20,000 per week.
London was also home to royalty and much of the nobility.
Rich noblemen became patrons of theatre companies,
giving financial and legal support. Royalty also supported
the theatre. From 1603 to 1613, Shakespeares company
played at the court of King James about 15 times per year.
What was London like?

London wasnt just big; it was also growing fast, mostly
due to migrants from the countryside and from Europe.
Between 1550 and 1600 it is estimated the city grew from
around 50,000 residents to over 200,000. Inside the citys
old medieval walls, every available space was being built
on. Outside, the suburbs grew steadily into the countryside.
London was a bustling, overcrowded city. In 1599,
a Swiss visitor said, one simply cannot walk along the
streets for the crowds. Another visitor called the crowded
streets dark and narrow. The dark attracted thieves and
the overcrowding brought disease. Plague struck most
summers; in 1593 about about 10,000 people were killed
and all the theatres were closed. In 1607, John Donne
called it London, plaguey London, full of danger and vice.
Part of a panorama of London by Claes Van Visscher, 1616, showing London Bridge spanning across the Thames.
Further Resources
Medieval London
This web resource contains pictures and
information of daily life, culture and more in
Medieval London:
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/
whats-on/galleries/medieval
What were the citys landmarks?

St Pauls Cathedral was the biggest of Londons 120
churches. It had a tower almost 300 feet tall; people
could climb to the top. Inside, as well as worship, crowds
gathered to socialise or do business which attracted
pick-pockets and prostitutes. Outside, the cathedral
was used as a market and it was Londons centre for
bookselling. There was also an outside pulpit, where,
Baron Waldstein said weekly open air serviceslast
nearly 3 hours.
The Tower of London was Londons old medieval
fortress. By 1600 it housed rooms for the royal family, a
treasury, a prison, a weapons store, a zoo and the royal
mint, where nearly all Englands coins were made.
London Bridge was the only bridge in London. It joined
the City of London, on the north bank of the Thames,
with Southwark on the south bank, where the Globe
Theatre was. It was about 800 feet long and supported
by 20 pillars, through which the river rushed. There were
houses and shops either side of the bridge. John Stow,
a historian from the time, said that it seemeth rather a
continual street than a bridge.
DID YOU KNOW?

London Bridge wasnt
the only way to cross
the Thames. People w
ho were in a rush, or
had money, could pay
to cross the river by
boats called water taxis
. In Shakespeares
time there were around
3,000 of them!
Where did Shakespeare live and work in London?

Shakespeare lived and worked in London from about
1590 to about 1613. But where exactly?
St Helens: In the mid-1590s, Shakespeare lived in the
London parish of St Helens, just north of London Bridge
and close to The Theatre and The Curtain playhouses.
We know he was twice assessed for taxes there and
failed to pay both times.
Paris Gardens: From about 1598-1602, he seems to
have lived in the Paris Gardens area of Bankside south of
the river near The Globe, where he worked.
Silver Street: From about 1602, Shakespeare rented
lodgings in the Silver Street house of the Mountjoys, a
family of French immigrants who made expensive hats.
A market in London in 1598, with the names of the county sellers shown above their stalls.
By permission of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
2013 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring,
lending, is prohibited. The Shakespeare Globe Trust does not endorse or sponsor, and is not liable for the products, services or content you
access through any third party site.

London

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

London

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

London

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LONDON

Although William Shakespeare worked in London

What was London like?

What were the citys landmarks?

DID YOU KNOW?

Where did Shakespeare live and work in London?

You might also like