Shakespeare's Globe

The original Globe Theatre, was built in 1599 by the playing company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, to which Shakespeare belonged.

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames that was originally built in 1599, destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and then demolished in 1644.

The modern reconstruction is an academic approximation based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings. It was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built about 230 metres from the site of the original theatre and opened in 1997 under the name "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre", and has staged plays every summer.

The site also includes the shell for a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre, another Elizabethan theatre, due to be completed and opened in November 2013 as the Sam Wanamaker Theatre.

Exhibition & Theatre Tours

You can see The Globe Exhibiton during all year. The Globe Exhibition & Tour gives you an opportunity to learn more about this unique building and its most famous playwright, Shakespeare.

Based under the Globe Theatre, our engaging and informative Exhibition explores the life of Shakespeare, the London where he lived, and the theatre for which he wrote.

Imagine the Globe as it would have been: the centre of what was once London's most notorious entertainment district, surrounded by raucous taverns and bawdy-houses.

Our expert guides will take you on a fascinating tour of the iconic Globe Theatre, bringing the space to life with colourful stories of the 1599 Globe, of the reconstruction process in the 1990s, and of how the "wooden O" works today as an imaginative and experimental theatrical space.

Tours begin every 30 minutes, and are in English. Complimentary information sheets are currently available in different languages.