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The Theatre, Shoreditch

The site of James Burbage's Theatre of 1576, London's first purpose-built playhouse.

ShakespeareFree

Photo by Matt Brown, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Built in the fields beyond the City's reach, where the Lord Mayor could not shut it, Burbage's Theatre is where Shakespeare's early plays were staged and where his company was based. When the landlord would not renew the lease, the Burbages took the building down over the Christmas of 1598 and hauled the timbers to Bankside to build the Globe. Excavations in 2008 found the polygonal wall footings; a plaque on Curtain Road marks the spot, and the courtyard beside New Inn Yard sits roughly where the playhouse's yard was.

Where
New Inn Yard, EC2A
Nearest station
Shoreditch High Street · 5 min walk

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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