Globe theatre Architecture | A living Elizabethan design experience

• Official name: Shakespeare’s Globe (modern reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre)
• Type: Elizabethan open‑air playhouse in Bankside, London
• Founded: Original built 1599; reconstructed opened 1997
• Location: 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT, United Kingdom
• Architectural style: Timber‑framed polygonal amphitheatre with thrust stage
• Designers/builders: Built by Cuthbert & Richard Burbage and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men including Shakespeare

The Globe theatre’s design embraces a fusion of Elizabethan theatre architecture, Roman classical influence, and practical staging tradition. Its circular (actually 20‑sided) polygonal design was inspired by Roman amphitheatres for prestige, but grounded in England’s travelling‑play and inn‑yard staging traditions via a central yard surrounded by galleries.

Made entirely of English oak with mortise‑and‑tenon joinery (no structural steel), the 1997 reconstruction uses traditional carpentry techniques based on McCurdy’s research and archaeological finds (like balusters from the Rose Theatre excavation). The resulting aesthetic is tactile and authentic.

Key influences:

• Roman theatre tradition: Name and overall form evoke Coliseum‐style grandeur.
• Elizabethan inn‑yard staging: Central thrust stage surrounded by standing yard and galleries.
• Local carpentry and materials: Thatched roof, lime plaster with goat hair, timber framing all reflect historic Elizabethan construction