Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

A guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the South Bank, following the building from its first construction to its reconstruction and explaining how plays were staged in Shakespeare's time.

The visit takes place inside the reconstructed theatre, which visitors know as the 'wooden O'. Guides describe how the original playhouse, first built in 1599, came through the plague, a fire and periods of political pressure before it was rebuilt in the 1990s.

The tour explains how the theatre was designed and how performances were staged in Shakespeare's day, and what the building meant to Londoners of the period. It spans more than four centuries of history and shows how the Globe operates today as well as how it worked then, with attention to the practical craft of theatre-making.

The guided format suits anyone curious about theatre history, architecture or stagecraft, including those who know Shakespeare's plays only in passing. Visitors move through the building with a guide, so the tour works well for a first visit to the venue.