Guide to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Few buildings in London feel as alive as the timber-framed Globe Theatre on Bankside. This guide covers everything you need to know before you visit — the history, what to see, how to book tickets, the famous flag system, and where to eat and drink nearby.
At a Glance
The Visit
Getting There
Arriving at Bankside
London Bridge station (Northern and Jubilee lines) or Southwark station (Jubilee line) both put you within a ten-minute walk. The best approach on foot is via the Millennium Bridge from St Paul's on the north bank — the view of the Globe's thatched roof across the river is one of London's great arrivals. By bus, routes 45, 63 and 100 stop on Southwark Bridge Road. There is no nearby car parking; public transport is the only sensible option.
💡 Insider tip: Walking across the Millennium Bridge gives you the finest first view of the Globe's roof from across the river. Time it for a clear morning.
A Brief History
From 1599 to the present day
Built in 1599 using timber salvaged from an earlier playhouse in Shoreditch, the original Globe stood just yards from today's reconstruction. It hosted the premieres of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth before burning to the ground in June 1613, when a cannon spark set the thatch ablaze during a performance of Henry VIII. Rebuilt within a year, it operated until 1642 when Puritan authorities closed the London playhouses. The modern reconstruction opened in 1997, the result of American actor-director Sam Wanamaker's 25-year campaign. Wanamaker died in 1993, four years before the doors opened.
💡 Insider tip: The exhibition beneath the theatre tells the full story of Wanamaker's campaign — and the original Globe's archaeology. It is included in the guided tour ticket.
Inside the Theatre
The yard, the galleries and the stage
Eight hundred and fifty-seven seats in the covered galleries; up to 700 groundlings standing in the central yard. With no amplification, actors project under the open sky across a stage only metres from the front row. Summer matinees can be sun-drenched; autumn evenings are atmospheric under floodlights. Productions range from original-practices Shakespeare — ruffs, candlelight, all-male casts — to bold modern interpretations. Either way, every performance uses the theatre's extraordinary intimacy to full effect.
💡 Insider tip: Groundling tickets start at £5 and give you the closest view of the stage. Bring a waterproof layer — the performance continues through light rain.
The Flag System
Tudor colour-coded advertising
On performance days, a coloured flag still flies above the Globe's roof: white for comedy, black for tragedy, red for history. The system dates to the Elizabethan theatre: because literacy rates were low in 1599, a visual cue told potential audiences across the Thames what kind of show was on that afternoon. A 1612 pamphlet records that 'each playhouse advanceth his flagge in the aire, whither quickly at the waving thereof are summoned whole troopes of men, women and children.' The modern Globe keeps the tradition alive for every performance day.
💡 Insider tip: Even if you have no tickets, you can tell what is playing that day simply by looking up at the flag from the Millennium Bridge.
Booking and Practical Tips
Making the most of your visit
Guided tours run most days except when matinee performances occupy the stage — check the website before travelling. Tours last approximately 40 minutes and include the exhibition. Summer groundling tickets sell out weeks in advance; book as soon as the new season opens (usually March). The indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse runs its own programme of candlelit productions through winter — an extraordinary experience and somewhat easier to book than the summer mainstage.
💡 Insider tip: The Globe's restaurant, Swan at the Globe, offers a pre-theatre set menu. Book a table after the show when the atmosphere is at its most convivial — actors sometimes appear.
🍺 Nearby pubs & restaurants
- Swan at the Globe
- Anchor Bankside
- Founder's Arms
- The George Inn (National Trust)
"All the world's a playhouse."
— Motto of the Globe Theatre — Totus mundus agit histrionem
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