Time Traveller Tour Part 1: Shakespearean Southwark

Immerse yourself in the lost world of Shakespearean London on part 1 of this special time-travelling tour led by historian and broadcaster Dr Matthew Green set in the year 1603, to mark the publication of his book 'London: A Travel Guide Through Time', published by Penguin on 18 June 2015.

Be harrowed by fear and wonder as you step into the timbered, sodden streets of Shakespeare’s neighbourhood where the air is foul with the miasma of tanneries and breweries, visit a savage bull-baiting arena where dogs are flipped through the air like pancakes onto the very shoulders of spectators; venture into a creaky tobacco house where the Mermaid wits – the first generation of chain-smoking intellectuals – sit on hogsheads ‘drinking’ the Nicotan Weed, the smoke the emissary of their prayers.

Hear how Sir Francis Drake lost his mind as he girdled the globe and touch the very timbers of his craft, The Golden Hinde, in its dock; and see what's on at the Rose, Swan and Globe playhouses, where you will hear stories of Shakespeare's plagiarism and discover the secrets of early Jacobean special effects, including bladders brimming with pig’s blood and artificial thunder. Visit a Southwark stew, the CLINK prison, and imagine the Keeper of the Heads high up on London Bridge, strumming his lyre to the light of the moon, amidst all the smiling skulls.