Globe Theatre

Shakespeare chose London's Bankside as the location for his Globe Theatre. Originally a place for entertainment and leisure, the site included attractions to suit all tastes and pockets - playhouses, pleasure gardens, taverns and brothels.

The Museum of London Archaeology Service carried out extensive excavations prior to the reconstruction of the new Globe. They uncovered vast deposits of animal bone, yielding evidence of bear-baiting arenas and other barbarous pastimes at a level of detail not provided by contemporary accounts.

The resulting Museum of London Outsite consists of objects discovered during these excavations: 16th-century mastiff skulls, tavern mugs, gaming pieces, bowling bowls and money pots. The display adds an important historical contribution to the main Globe exhibition and offers a fascinating insight into Tudor life.