Location of William Shakespeare's London Home Identified by Researcher

Discovery of Historical Site

A professor at King's College London has located the exact site of William Shakespeare's home in London's Blackfriars district.

The researcher found three documents—two from the London Archives and one from the National Archives—that detail the property's location and dimensions. Shakespeare purchased the property in 1613. Previously, scholars believed the home was part of the Great Gate at the entrance to the Blackfriars precinct, a former 13th-century Dominican friary.

A blue plaque at 5 St. Andrew's Hill indicated the residence was near that address. However, the new findings show the house stood within the precinct itself.

Details from Documents One document includes a floorplan from 1668, created two years after the Great Fire of London.

It shows the property measured 45 feet east to west, 15 feet north to south at the eastern end, and 13 feet at the western end. The plan does not detail the internal layout, but the property was large enough to be divided into two homes by 1645. The other two documents relate to the sale of the property in 1665 by Shakespeare's granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall Nash Barnard, daughter of his eldest daughter, Susanna.

The site covers the eastern end of Ireland Yard, the bottom of Burgon Street, and parts of late 19th-century buildings at 5 Burgon Street and 5 St. Andrew's Hill.

Implications for Shakespeare's Life

The professor stated that the house was close to Shakespeare's workplace at the Blackfriars theatre.

The findings suggest Shakespeare may have lived and worked in London longer than previously thought, rather than retiring immediately to Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands of England. The discovery questions the idea that Shakespeare bought the property only as an investment and did not use it himself.

The professor noted that Shakespeare co-authored 'Two Noble Kinsmen' with John Fletcher in 1613, and it is possible some of that work occurred at this property.