Shakespeare’s London
I'm Tom! Can you find me?
Shakespeare’s London
About Shakespeare’s London
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616, and spent much of his life as a playwright in London, England. Shakespeare lived in London over 400 years ago, during the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart families. He became famous for his plays, which helped make theatre a very popular kind of entertainment for Londoners during this time. The bustling city of London became an exciting place to buy and trade, watch and play sports, and even be close to politics and royalty! Some of the places that Tom visits in this book may not have existed at the same time, but they are all part of London's culture and history.
Tom Digby the cat
Granny Bea and spot the hidden Tudor Rose in every scene!
First published in 2023
Nosy Crow Ltd Wheat Wharf, 27a Shad Thames, London, SE1 2XZ, UK
Nosy Crow Eireann Ltd 44 Orchard Grove, Kenmare, Co Kerry, V93 FY22, Ireland
www.nosycrow.com
ISBN 978 1 83994 515 1 (HB)
ISBN 978 1 83994 516 8 (PB)
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd. Published in collaboration with the British Museum.
Text © Nosy Crow 2023
Illustrations © Fatti Burke 2023
The right of Nosy Crow to be identified as the author and Fatti Burke to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted. All rights reserved.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd. A
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Tom was an ordinary boy, most of the time. He was clever and brave, and he loved adventure.
Tom’s grandmother, Bea, was an ordinary grandmother, most of the time. She was clever and brave, and a little bit mischievous, and she loved adventure, too. Which was just as well, since her job was digging in the dust and the dirt to discover how people used to live. Granny Bea was an .
Granny Bea’s cat, Digby, did not like digging in the dust and the dirt. Or getting wet. Or missing his meals. In fact, Digby did not like adventure at all. Especially after what happened the last time Tom came to stay . . . but that’s another story.
One windy afternoon, Granny Bea called Tom up to her study. Entering the room, Tom caught sight of Digby pawing at something round and white. "Is that some sort of cat bed, Granny Bea?" Tom asked.
Granny Bea beamed at him. "It’s a . Over 400 years ago, when Shakespeare lived, it was fashionable for men, women and children to wear one around their neck. Would you like to try it on?"
Tom was in Shakespeare’s London – he couldn’t believe his eyes! All around him, people were calling out for drinks and reading adverts for new plays. The sound of laughter filled the air.
Tom looked around for Granny Bea. Surely she wouldn’t send him back in time alone? Just then, Tom spotted an orange cat slink out of a nearby window. Could it be Digby?
Tom
Someone papering the wall with playbills
Someone balancing a lot of plates
An inn owner pouring a drink
Actors putting on a play
Digby the cat
Two people playing cards
The was opened in the 1400s as an , but it became best known when it became a performance space. Throughout Shakespeare’s lifetime more and more visitors travelled to London to experience the lively city, but locals also needed places to relax, eat and drink.
Inn owners realised that people wanted entertainment and began to host plays in their yards or to provide more permanent indoor spaces for the growing number of to use. This arrangement brought the inns more customers and gave them reputations of being fun and rowdy that spread across London. Theatre became such an important part of an inn that wallpaper could even be created from spare and .
William Shakespeare, and the various acting companies that he either started or was a part of, performed at inns including the Belle Sauvage, before later using theatres that could regularly hold larger audiences.
Tom ran out of the inn and followed the cat until he reached a stream of people entering a run-down cathedral. Some people were wearing ruffs like the one Granny Bea had given him.
Wanting to blend in with the crowd, Tom buttoned his ruff around his neck and looked around. Just where had Digby gone?
Someone carrying a box of bricks
People exchanging coins
A person kneeling to pray
Two people arguing
Someone about to carve their initials on the tower Tom Digby the cat
St Paul’s Cathedral attracted sightseers in Shakespeare’s time just as the building does today. However, while the cathedral is now in good condition, in the late 1500s it was run-down and needing repair. In 1561, lightning destroyed part of the roof and stonework would sometimes fall, injuring people below.
While people did visit the cathedral to worship, they also used the building as a passage between two parts of the city. Workers would carry their loads through the while others would hold meetings, plan crimes, gossip, steal and argue there. Poorer locals took shelter in the cathedral and anyone with money to pay could meet at the .
While visiting, some people would even climb the 285-foot tower of the cathedral and carve their initials into the walls there!
Darting into the churchyard, Tom found himself in a busy marketplace. Stalls selling newspapers and plays surrounded him and stall owners yelled to passersby about the latest deals.
Suddenly, an argument broke out. In the confusion, Tom spotted a flash of orange disappear into the streets. Digby!
Businesses related to reading and writing were positioned around St Paul’s and so the the building became known as the church of and booksellers. By the early 1600s, around three quarters of men and a quarter of women in London were able to read.
Stalls covered the yard outside the cathedral, with sellers offering books, plays, written songs, and cheap newspapers. Books covered a wide range of topics – history, fiction – even advice on how to live!
Popular play texts of the time could be bought cheaply, including a few of Shakespeare’s! Before his death in 1616, six plays were available to buy from places like St Paul’s, and later in the 1600s his friends published a book containing all of Shakespeare’s works. However, some acting companies did not want to sell their plays in case performed them, so not everything could be bought.
Someone singing a song they have bought A person selling feather quills A boy selling newspapers Digby the cat Tom
A person who has dropped their money
Two playful children