Shakespearean London Theatres

The Bull was the second of the four inn playhouses. Plays were staged here from 1575 until 1594.

In 1584 four inns were licensed by the City for dramatic performances, these being the Bel Savage Inn, the Bull Inn, the Bell Inn and the Cross Keys Inn (they were taverns allowed to stage plays, not exclusively playhouses). The Queen’s Men performed at these inns during the 1580s with the famous comic actor Richard Tarlton, along with several other unidentified companies. In 1594 the city authorities ordered a ban on playing in the City of London at the same time as the Theatre and the Rose were licensed as the only two officially legal playhouses in London.

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Address

Bishopsgate Street, near Barclays Bank (110)
EC2M 1RX

Latitude/longitude

51.51568628,-0.08330714

National Grid Reference

533093 181379

Directions

From Liverpool Street Station walk south along Bishopsgate passing the site of the Bull (see the ‘Locations’ side of the downloadable map. A small green square marks the spot).