But, in 1598, the company fell out with the owner of the land on which The Theatre stood.

It was here that Shakespeare wrote and performed as a member of the acting company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

But the construction of purpose-built theatres in which professional actors performed to public audiences for a profit was a new and radical innovation in mass entertainment. People had been performing in London since medieval times. Built-in 1576, it was called, The Theatre. The Theatre, ShoreditchĪlong Curtain Road, you will find a green plaque to the first permanent, purpose-built theatre in London. But, there are still a few locations where you can discover tantalising traces of Shakespeare’s life and legacy. Modern London is a very different place from the city Shakespeare would have known. London was the city in which he spent the greatest part of his life and it was London that provided the location, audiences, and often the inspiration for his plays. Over 400 years on, these words still have the power to question, console, illuminate and inspire us today.Īlthough he may have been a native of Warwickshire, it was London that made William Shakespeare’s name. Revered throughout the world as one of the greatest playwrights, Shakespeare wrote some of the best-known and best-loved words in the English language.

Shakespeare bust bank