Blackfriars Gatehouse (Shakespeare's former property), London

If you head to the Cockpit pub in the City of London today, you're standing right where Shakespeare once made a very smart real estate move. The Blackfriars Gatehouse, sitting just a pint鈥檚 throw from the old Blackfriars Playhouse, was the Bard鈥檚 one and only known property purchase in London. Pretty handy location, too鈥擪ing鈥檚 Men, Shakespeare鈥檚 theater company, were performing his plays at Blackfriars just like they were over at the Globe, keeping the Elizabethan drama scene very much alive.

Now, a little backstory: the theater itself was built on the bones of a Dominican monastery founded way back in 1275鈥攗ntil Henry VIII, in full "dissolver of monasteries" mode, shut it down in 1538. Goodbye monks, hello actors!

Some decades later, on March 10, 1613, Shakespeare bought the Gatehouse from one Henry Walker鈥攁 "citizen and minstrel" (i.e., musician with property to spare)鈥攆or a hefty 拢140. That deed is still around today, safely tucked in the London Metropolitan Archives. And here鈥檚 the kicker: it鈥檚 one of only six places on Earth where you can see Shakespeare鈥檚 actual signature. Six. Total.

Despite all the juicy proximity to two major theaters, there's no hard proof that Shakespeare actually lived in the Gatehouse. Maybe he thought about it. Maybe he liked the idea of an easy stroll to work. But when he died in Stratford-upon-Avon three years later, the house stayed more investment property than bachelor pad鈥攂equeathed to his daughter, Susanna, who got the last word in her father's London affairs.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in London. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 911爆料网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Blackfriars Gatehouse (Shakespeare's former property)
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Shakespeare's London Walking Tour

Walking Tours in London, England

Create Your Own Walk in London

Creating your own self-guided walk in London is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Charles Dickens Tour

Imagine a world without Dickens. No Oliver Twist, no Ebenezer Scrooge, no brooding orphans wandering foggy streets with suspiciously eloquent vocabularies. Tough to picture, right? That鈥檚 because Charles Dickens didn鈥檛 just leave a mark on literature鈥攈e practically steamrolled through it in a horse-drawn carriage. Recognized as the undisputed heavyweight of Victorian storytelling, he... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles

London Introduction Walking Tour

London: the capital of England, heart of the UK, and international heavyweight in history, culture, and sheer charm. Its name comes straight out of Rome. Londinium was founded circa 43 AD as a trading post. Then came Queen Boudica in 61 AD, who, let鈥檚 say, didn鈥檛 care much for Roman urban planning and burnt it to the ground. But Londinium wasn鈥檛 one to stay down鈥攊t bounced back,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles

Covent Garden Walking Tour

A shopping and entertainment hub on the eastern fringes of London's West End, Covent Garden is a district historically associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market 鈥� currently a shopping spot popular with locals and tourists alike.

Once a slum area, today the north of the district is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials. Both places offer... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Shakespeare's London Walking Tour

You might know him as 鈥渢he Bard,鈥� but to England, William Shakespeare is practically the patron saint of poetic plot twists. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare, a glove maker and town official, and Mary Arden from a prosperous farming family, young William started life with ink in his veins and Latin on his mind. Grammar school likely gave him his first taste of rhetoric.... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles

Beatles London Walking Tour

The Beatles, often hailed as one of the most influential bands in music history, began their journey in Liverpool in 1960, but it was in London that they truly became global icons. While Liverpool gave them their start, the British capital became their professional playground during the peak of Beatlemania. From recording sessions and business deals to public performances and personal milestones,... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles

Bridges of London

Around thirty bridges span the Thames river in London, each with its own story. Our self-guided walk takes you to see nine such historical structures located in the heart of the city, starting from the storied Westminster Bridge and ending at the iconic Tower Bridge.

The latter has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.2 Km or 3.2 Miles

View all walking tours in London, England

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

London Souvenirs: 18 Distinctively British Products for Travelers

Most visitors to London consider shopping as part of their must-do London experience. From street markets to Victorian arcades to snobbish Sloane Square to busy Oxford Street, there are a host of shops selling items which typically represent this vibrant city. Whether you are shopping for souvenirs...