City of London
- 1. St Paul's, 1575-1606
- 2. First Blackfriars, 1576-84
- 3. Bull Inn, 1578-94
- 4. Bell Inn, 1576-94
- 5. Bel Savage Inn, 1575-94
- 6. Cross Keys Inn, 1578-94
- 7. Second Blackfriars, 1596-1642
City of Westminster (West End)
Northern suburbs, Middlesex
- 11. Red Lion, 1567
- 12. Theatre, 1576-98
- 13. Curtain, 1577-1625
- 14. The Boar's Head, 1598-1605
- 15. Fortune, 1600-42
- 16. Red Bull, 1604-42
Bankside suburbs, Surrey
- 17. Newington Butts, 1576-95
- 18. Rose, 1587-1604
- 19. Swan, 1595-1628
- 20. Globe, 1599-1642
- 21. Hope, 1614-42
The Inns of Court
Royal performing venues
The Revels Office
- 28. St. John's Priory Buildings, Clerkenwell, 1578-1607
- 29. Whitefriars (by the playhouse), 1608-11
- 30. Peter's Hill, near College of Arms, 1612-30
- 31. Near St. Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, 1630-42
Churches
- 32. St Leonard's ('the Actors' Church')
- 33. St Giles Cripplegate
- 34. St Mary Overie (now Southwark Cathedral)
- 35. Westminster Abbey (Poets' Corner)
Shakespeare's residences
Underground station
Church
Inn of court
Court building
Shakespeare's residence
Inn used for plays
Revels office
Outdoor theatre
Outdoor theatre
Indoor theatreShaLT walks
These walks will allow you to discover where the 21+ Shakespearean Theatres were located in the compact London space of England's Renaissance period. Please note that the timings given are approximate. Downloadable walking maps are available on the downloads page. Happy walking!
Walk One - Shoreditch to Barbican
Starts at St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch (having associations with theatre people like the Burbage family, whose remains are here), taking in Theatre, Curtain and Fortune sites, and ending at Barbican Arts Centre, a good refreshment point. About an hour.
Walk Two - Barbican to Clerkenwell
Starts at St Giles's Church, Barbican (where the remains of poet John Milton, a keen playgoer as a young man, lie) taking in the Revels Office (where Sir Edmund Tilney oversaw and censored plays up to 1607, including Shakespeare's), ending at the Red Bull playhouse site. About forty five minutes. Several cafes and pubs in nearby Jerusalem Passage, and at Clerkenwell Green.
Walk Three - St Paul's to Drury Lane
Starts at St Paul's, taking in the Bel Savage at Limeburner Lane, the two Blackfriars theatres, Shakespeare's Blackfriars East Gatehouse, Salisbury Court, Whitefriars, Inner Temple Hall, Middle Temple Hall, Lincoln's Inn Hall, Gray's Inn Hall, and ending at the Cockpit/Phoenix, Peabody Buildings, accessed via a passageway off Kemble Street. About ninety minutes.
Walk Four - Whitechapel to City of London
Starts at the Red Lion site, taking in the Boar's Head, Bull Inn, and, in Gracechurch ('Gracious') Street, ending at The Bell and Cross Keys inns. About an hour.
Walk Five - Southwark Cathedral to Bankside
Starts at Southwark Cathedral (previously St Mary Overie Church, where in the nave floor memorial slabs can be seen for Shakespeare's brother Edmond, and his playwright successors John Fletcher and Philip Massinger), taking in the original Globe and Rose sites, both on Park Street, the Hope site in Bear Gardens, and ending at the site of the Swan, Sampson House, Hopton Street. About forty five minutes.