On June 29, 1613, staged cannon fire during a performance of “Henry VIII” ignited a fire that burned the Globe Theatre to the ground.
Original Globe Theatre Burns Down
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The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting troupe featuring playwright William Shakespeare, performed its plays at the Blackfriars Theatre, built in 1576 by troupe member James Burbage. However, in 1597 the landlord at Blackfriars ordered the troupe out, forcing them to construct a new playhouse.
James Burbage and his brother Cuthbert, citing a provision in their lease, were allowed to dismantle the Blackfriars Theatre and move its oak beams across the Thames River to Bankside, where the beams were used to construct the Globe Theatre.
Opened in 1599, the Globe was a three-story, open-air theatre that could accommodate 3,000 spectators. The stage, measuring more than 40 feet wide and 25 feet deep, stood five feet above the ground, rising above the central courtyard where about 1,000 “groundlings” watched the play. The stage was surrounded by a ring of balcony seating covered by a straw roof.
