Shakespeare's Globe

The original Globe stood a few hundred metres away and burned down in 1613 when a cannon fired during Henry VIII set the thatch alight. The reconstruction was driven for decades by the American actor Sam Wanamaker, who died in 1993 before it opened in 1997. It was built using Elizabethan methods: green oak jointed with pegs, lime plaster, and the first thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire, with modern sprinklers as the condition. Performances run in daylight or under fixed lights with no blackout, so actors and audience see each other throughout, and the yard holds around seven hundred standing groundlings for a few pounds. The indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, candlelit and Jacobean in style, runs a winter season.

What you'll find

• The open yard - standing places for around seven hundred, as in 1599.
• The oak and thatch - Elizabethan construction methods and materials.
• The shared light - performances with no blackout between stage and audience.
• The Wanamaker Playhouse - a candlelit indoor theatre for the winter season.

When to go

April to October for the outdoor season; the Wanamaker runs from autumn through winter. Standing tickets are cheap and available late, but there is no seating and no shelter from rain in the yard.

Practical notes

Groundlings stand for the full performance, often three hours, with no leaning allowed on the stage edge and no cover if it rains; the show goes ahead regardless. Seated places have hard benches and cushions cost extra. Some seats have restricted views by design.

Nearby

Tate Modern is next door; Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral lie east.

Key facts