8-4Southwark

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The Southwark, A section of London with a lot of theater and fun, is located on the south bank of the Thames River. Many crowded tenements were being built. The gardens were being quickly covered. The streets and the alleys were very lively and crowded with people. Many industries were also growing in the Southwark area. These industries included glassworks and tanneries. The businesses produced interesting smells and high pollution. According to the book London: A Life in maps by Peter Whitfield, the Southwark had four very different kinds of buildings. The first kind was the homes of rich people, often similar to palaces. Secondly there were large inns. The third were the prisons, and the last, the pleasure resorts, which included theaters and brothels. The Southwrk was an area that attracted many foreigners. In fact most foreigners from the continent traveled to London on a ferry that went through the Southwark. The Southwark was an area filled with things to do.=====

The Southwark was a section where the theater industry became very big. Due to the growth in population the theater and entertainment industries were drawn to the Southwark. There also are reports that Southwark served as the red-light area of London, meaning it included many brothels and taverns including some famous taverns such as The George and The Anchor. Brothels (a place made for prostitution) and large inns were places were you would find many criminals. In 1584, a playhouse theater called The Rose was built in Southwark. It became a popular theater for all classes of people, rich and poor alike. Shakespeare and other famous writers, including Christopher Marlow, worked at The Rose. Many writers and actors also worked at The Swan Theater. The Globe Theater, near The Thames was built later than The Rose and The Swan. The Globe became Shakespeare’s primary theater. This was the home theater of his acting crew the Kings men originally called Lord Chamberlain’s Men. As you can tell the acting industry was major in The Southwark.

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Even if there was no theater in The Southwark it would still be a big section for entertainment. The Southwark was just outside the city, which meant that not all the city laws applied. There were more than 300 inns where people would drink, eat, and gamble all night. There were many forms of entertainment such as spectator sports. Some of these included bowling and bear-baiting. Bear-baiting was a sport in which dogs were allowed to attack a bear, who was tied up people would bet on who would survive. Some of the bears became famous. According to PBS, one was even mentioned in Shakespeare’s work “Merry Wives of Windsor.” Many of the bar scenes in Shakespeare’s plays were based on the Southwark. They also had bull-baiting which was similar to bear-baiting. Even with these distractions there were good schools in the Southwark. There were 2 main schools in the Southwark built by the parishioners (church members). The first of the schools was for 100 kids and was built in 1562. The second was built in 1571 for children both rich and poor. As you see both entertainment and education were big in the Southwark.======

works cited

Picard, Liza. //Elizabeth’s london//. 1st. New York City: St. Martins press, 2003.

"Southwark, London." //pbs.com//. 2003. pbs. 14 Apr 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/locations/location207.html

Whitfield, Peter. //London: a Life in Maps//. 1st. london: The British Library, 2006.