Shakespeare's Globe

Globe Theatre

The Globe theatre was faithfully reconstructed with the same materials and style as the original. We undertook a fascinating tour with a guide/actor giving many insights into the social and political context of the original theatre and how its design enabled audience engagement. Around 1600 when such theatres first appeared, the poor class in cramped London had little entertainment bar bear fights, cock fights and executions.  The theatre  added a whole new dimension to life but they were short lived being shut down due to the civil war and the rise of puritanism.  On the 6th of September, 1642, the were closed by ordinance being considered not seemly to indulge in any kind of diversions or amusements in such troubling times.  In early 1643 the actors remonstrated pleading with no avail with parliament to reopen the theatres by writing "The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession, and banishment from their several play-houses", in which they state, "wee have purged our stages of all obscene and scurrilous jests.
Along with the tour of the theatre we also had a demonstration of theatre costumes and the origin of such terms such as 'straight laced' (very upright due to tight corset) and bombastic ( 'Bombast' was a form of stuffing used to pad and add shape to a variety of garments, including the shoulders, chest, hips and bodice; the bulky legs of men's hose l and shoulders of women's gowns).  Bombast was particularly necessarily for male actors performing female parts.

View from 19th Floor of Tate Galllery

We had heard that the best lunch venue in London was the top of the Tate Gallery but discovered the two wings have restaurants - one on the tenth and one on the 6th floor. We went up and down lifts and escalators several times before settling on a light lunch at the 6th floor restaurant. The sunshine shining on the north bank of the Thames illuminated our vista of the city. The galleries were buzzing a little too loud for us reluctant modern art followers and this was enough to deter us from entering the galleries this visit. 

Late in the day - that is 1600 when it is already twilight - we crossed the Millennium Bridge and completed the last two galleries of the Museum of London.  'Medieval London' and 'The War, Plague and Fire' explained many key historical events including the Saxons, Viking invasions and rule, disease, the change in religion in the time of Henry VIII, the Plague and the Great Fire.

Destructive fires provoke blame and in the case of the Great Fire the Pudding Lane baker, the sins of Londoners, the French or Dutch, and Catholics were variously accused.  The unfortunate and unstable French Catholic, Robert Hubert, was hanged for the crime- a suitable scapegoat!