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The Hope Playhouse is a Jacobean playhouse located on Bankside in Southwark, Surrey, which operated from 1614 until its demolition in 1656. Built by Philip Henslowe and Jacob Meade, it was designed as a multipurpose venue serving both as a theatre and bear-baiting arena, reflecting the dual entertainments that characterised Bankside during the early seventeenth century. The playhouse hosted performances by the Lady Elizabeth's Men and the Palsgrave's Men, and is notably documented as the venue where Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair premiered in 1614. Archaeological investigation and historical records indicate the site formed part of Bankside's cluster of entertainment venues, alongside nearby bear gardens which exploited the area's established reputation as a centre for animal baiting and theatrical performance during the Tudor and Stuart periods.
The Hope Playhouse, and the remains of three further bear gardens, Bankside is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1433280. View the official record →
The Hope Playhouse is a Jacobean playhouse located on Bankside in Southwark, Surrey, which operated from 1614 until its demolition in 1656. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1433280.
The Hope Playhouse, and the remains of three further bear gardens, Bankside is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1433280.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Globe Theatre (0.1 km), Romano-British bath house and medieval remains at 11-15 Borough High Street (0.6 km), Roman riverboat, 136m west of Greenwood Theatre (0.8 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in the UK — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around The Hope Playhouse, and the remains of three further bear gardens, Bankside