Dramatic scenes at dig site as archaeologists find first Elizabethan theatre
FOR those who want to imagine what theatre was like in Shakespeare’s day, the world-famous Globe is a grand recreation of the real thing.
But the first playhouse from Shakespeare’s day was a little more humble – a shaky wooden structure erected in the garden of an east London farmhouse.
The Red Lion was built around 1567, and archaeologists from University College London believe they may have discovered its remains at the site of a new housing development.
Almost nothing is known about the playhouse but one of the few established facts is that it was built by John Brayne. Brayne’s brother-in-law, James Burbage, went on to construct The Theatre in nearby Shoreditch several years later, a more permanent venue where Shakespeare is known to have performed and staged his plays.
Information about the Red Lion comes from two lawsuits of 1567 and 1569 in a dispute between Brayne and his carpenters. They describe the stage and seating area being located at a “farme house called and knowen by the name of the Sygne of the Redd Lyon”.
The documents make reference to timber scaffolds and a large stage standing 5ft above the ground. They also mention one play being staged there, The Story of Samson.
The exact location of the playhouse has been debated. It was built as a temporary location, and historians do not know how long it remained there. But the excavations at the Whitechapel site uncovered an unusual, rectangular, timber structure that closely matched the details in the lawsuit.
They also found beer cellars, drinking glasses and pottery, and a complete late-17th century tavern mug bearing a medallion of Charles II.
Stephen White, who directed the excavation for UCL Archaeology Southeast, said, “This is one of the most extraordinary sites I’ve worked on. After nearly 500 years, the remains of the Red Lion playhouse, which marked the dawn of Elizabethan theatre, may have finally been found.
“The strength of the combined evidence – archaeological remains of buildings, in the right location, of the right period – seem to match up with characteristics of the playhouse recorded in early documents. It is a privilege to be able to add to our understanding of this exciting period of history.”
The excavation was commissioned for the developers of 85 Stepney Way, a planned housing development, and monitored by Historic England.
In 2008, the Museum of London Archaeology found the remains of The Theatre, believed to be the earliest permanent, purpose-built playhouse in London after Roman times. It was opened in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage, who dismantled it in 1598 after a legal row and rebuilt it across the river as the first Globe Theatre.
In 2012, the museum discovered the site of the Curtain Theatre, built in 1577. Last year, the museum’s team began excavations of The Boar’s Head Playhouse in Aldgate, constructed in 1598.