Historical Context - Week Three - Part 2

Shakespeare's London

London was a vastly growing city were migrants came from the country side and Europe! There was a huge residency increase of 150,000 in 50 years - that's a lot! It was becoming over crowded and just mental, but the art was growing and it was a brilliant time to be a business man. In 1593 there was the plague which caused theatres to be shut and killed over 10,000 people in London alone. 
London was the richest city in England, wealthy traders, manufactures and workers lived in London and they were the ones who could afford to go to the theatre. In the 1600's 20,00 people were going to the theatre! There were lots of nobel men who would sponsor theatre companies - Royality was located in London and for 10 years Shakespeare's company played at the court of King James I about 15 times a year. 

CITY LAND MARKS! 

St. Pauls Cathedral is the biggest out of the 120 churches in London. The tower is 300 feet tall. It was a place not only for prayer but for business negotiations and a place to socialise. 
There were markets outside selling different types of produce. And there were open air services that could go on for about three hours at a time. 
The Tower of London
The tower was actually used for the royal family to live in - It was a treasury, prison, a weapons room a zoo and the royal mint were the currency was made. 
London Bridge
This was the only bridge in London at that time and joined up the city of London and the north bank of the Thames - where south bank is (right opposite the globe theatre). It was referred to as a continuous street rather than a bridge. 


WHERE DID SHAKESPEARE LIVE AND WORK IN LONDON?

Silver Street Lodgings

St Helens Parish

While Shakepeares' family lived in Stratford Shakespeare lived and worked 100 miles away in London. He lived in London from 1590 to 1613 and lived and worked all over London. He lived in the London Parish of St Helen, the north of London bridge which is close the the theatres and the Curtain Playhouse. He failed to pay for his taxes while living there which confirms his residency. 
He also lived in Paris Gardens Bankside south of the river near the Globe where he worked most of the time in the time of 1598- 1602.
Silver Street was a another place where he lived, he had lodgings there in the Silver Street house of the Mountjoys where a family of French Immigrants who made expensive hats.