Shakespeare's Globe is a modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the river Thames, destroyed in 1613 by fire, rebuilt in 1614, and demolished in 1644. It was the first thatched roof seen in London since the Great Fire of London in 1666. The reconstruction was organised by the American actor and film director, Sam Wanamaker. He founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust in 1970 and building commenced in 1987. However a 26 year fight with bureaucracy meant that he died three years before it was completed, in 1996.

The reconstruction is very true to the original - Wanamaker used the same materials, construction techniques and layout as original. The original Globe was built in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a group of actors that included William Shakespeare as a shareholder. When they failed to renew the lease on Richard Burbage's theatre in Shoreditch, they dismantled the theatre overnight, smuggled it across the river and moved it to Southwark - a place free of The City of London's strict laws on entertainment.

Three Shakespeare plays premiered there - Henry V (1599), Julius Caesar (1599) and Cymbeline (1611). Today it's open to the public and there is nearly always a production on. There are tours, courses, exhibitions and a variety of other activities as well as restaurants.

Shakespeare's Globe

21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT