James Burbage - Theatre in Finsbury Fields 1576?

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Permalink Reply by Takaokagiejin on August 3, 2010 at 12:11

Gosh that's brilliant - tell us more please someone!

Permalink Reply by Hugh on August 3, 2010 at 12:22

I'm taking it Barbara that you mean Finsbury Fields and not Finsbury Park?

Permalink Reply by Kit on August 3, 2010 at 12:52

Sadly not OUR Finsbury Park, according to hidden-london.com (but thanks for excellent Gladys info, Barbara):

"James Burbage’s Curtain theatre in Shoreditch was described as being ‘in Finsbury Fields’. Finsbury Square and Finsbury Circus were laid out in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as the nuclei of a high-class suburb that never achieved its full potential and subsequently converted to commercial use. Finsbury was a parliamentary constituency in the 19th century and in 1901 the metropolitan borough of Finsbury was formed from the southern Clerkenwell parishes of St James and St John. Many of the borough’s civic and public buildings lay in the vicinity of Rosebery Avenue, and Finsbury’s name thus came to be primarily associated with this neighbourhood. The borough took over Clerkenwell’s stately Flemish Renaissance vestry hall as its headquarters. The council developed a ‘Finsbury plan’ to improve living conditions in this overcrowded area and its most notable success was Berthold Lubetkin’s Finsbury health centre of 1938. In its present state this is by no means a beautiful building but it has been grade I listed for its significance to the modernist architectural movement and there are plans for it to be reinstated to something like its former glory. The Borough of Finsbury was merged into Islington in 1965 and has begun to fade from recognition."

Permalink Reply by Mooseandhobbes on August 3, 2010 at 20:25

Hi Barbara,

The Theatre was indeed set up by James Burbage in 1576. It's actually situated in Shoreditch near the junction of what is now Curtain Road and New Inn Yard. This is close to the site of Finsbury Fields (not Finsbury Park).

The Theatre was the first purpose built theatre and was the site of early productions of several of Shakespeare's plays including the premier of Romeo & Juliet.

The remains of The Theatre have been unearthed by the Museum of London and are currently under excavation (the excavations are due to go until mid-August). Following this, construction of a new theatre will begin, which will be the new home for the Tower Theatre Company. Don't panic. The remains of The Theatre are being preserved beneath the new theatre.

I was able to visit the excavations recently, and I believe that there may still be some opportunities to do this, but obviously this won't be possible for much longer.

There's a website with more info here http://www.thetheatre.org.uk/index.htm

TTFN

Sunny

Permalink Reply by John OAKES on August 6, 2010 at 12:06

Google shows that , in 1576, Burbage secured a 21-year lease of some ground lying a little to the north of Holywell Lane, between Finsbury Fields and the Bishopsgate and Shoreditch Road", where he invested several hundred pounds in a building called simply The Theatre, and was successful.