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The Theatre Playhouse is a timber-framed building of Elizabethan origin located in Shoreditch, Middlesex. Constructed in 1576, it was one of the earliest purpose-built playhouses in England and is historically significant as the venue where many of William Shakespeare's early plays were performed. The building survives as a rare example of Tudor theatrical architecture, retaining its original timber framework despite subsequent modifications and repairs over the centuries. Its construction marked a pivotal moment in the development of English theatre, preceding the Globe by some two decades and establishing the prototype for the public playhouse design that would dominate the Elizabethan stage.
The Theatre Playhouse is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1433271. View the official record →
The Theatre Playhouse is a timber-framed building of Elizabethan origin located in Shoreditch, Middlesex. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1433271.
The Theatre Playhouse 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 1433271.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Abbey buildings, Bermondsey (3.1 km), The Jewel Tower (4.3 km), Tudor naval storehouse at Convoys Wharf (5.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of The Theatre Playhouse's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
The Theatre Playhouse stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.