Most people associate William Shakespeare with Stratford-Upon-Avon. But, in fact, it was in London that Shakespeare wrote his plays, and it was in London that they were first performed.
In fact on one of our London walks that covers the Inns of Court we enounter two buildings in which two of Shakespeare’s plays were premiered.
The first is the Middle Temple Dining Hall, built in the 1570’s and inside which Twelfth Night was first performed on 2nd February 1602.
The second is Gray’s Inn Dining Hall, built in 1556, and where A Comedy of Errors was first performed in 1594.
Our London walks cover many places associated with Shakespeare.
The great thing about our London walks is the sheer diversity of the areas that they explore.
Although the above two locations are featured on a specific walking tour of London, it’s surprising how many times Shakespeare pops up on our London walks.
In Clerkenwell, for example, there is St. John’s Gate, built in the early 1500’s. It was once the gatehouse of the Monastery of St John’s. But when Henry V111 dissolved the monastery it became the office of the Master of the Revels, the officer who licensed plays for public performance. In Shakespeare’s day this post was occupied by Sir Edmund Tilney, a man who would have been well known to William Shakespeare as it was Tilney’s decision as to whether or not a play could be staged.
Over near to Blackfriars is Playhouse Yard which features on several of our London walks and which also has Shakespearean connections. Nearby is the wonderfully named church of St. Andrew By The Wardrobe, which has a memorial window dedicated to Shakespeare who purchased the old gatehouse of the Blackfriars Monastery as a property investment.
Walking over London Bridge you come to the district of Southwark. One of our London walks visits Southwark cathedral where Shakespeare’s youngest brother, Edmund, was buried and inside which you will find a monument to the immortal Bard. Above his reclining figure is the Shakespeare memorial window, which shows characters from his Histories, Tragedies and Comedies.
Heading in to the back streets of Southwark you come to the site of the Globe Playhouse, where a series of information boards provide a history of this important literary landmark.
Our Riverside London walk also takes in the new Globe Theatre where audiences can watch the plays of Shakespeare as close to the site where they were originally performed as it is possible to get.
So Stratford is certainly worth a visit, but if you want to explore the career of William Shakespeare and walk through the streets that inspired him, the the best way to do it is on our London walks.
And, with so many to choose from, you really can step back in time to the 16th and early 17th centuries to literally walk in the footsteps of William Shakespeare.
