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Curtain Theatre

1577 establishments in England1622 disestablishments2011 archaeological discoveriesFormer buildings and structures in the London Borough of HackneyFormer theatres in London
ShoreditchTheatres completed in 1577Use British English from May 2015
London theatres C16—C17, after Redwood
London theatres C16—C17, after Redwood

The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Hewett Street, Shoreditch (within the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It opened in 1577, and continued staging plays until 1624.The Curtain was built some 200 yards (180 m) south of London's first playhouse, The Theatre, which had opened a year before, in 1576. It was called the "Curtain" because it was located near a plot of land called Curtain Close, which derived its name in turn from its proximity to the walls of Holywell Priory, a curtain wall being a section of wall between two bastions. (The name bears no relationship to the front curtain associated with modern theatres.) The remains of the theatre were rediscovered in archaeological excavations in 2012–16. The most significant revelation was that the Curtain was rectangular, not round. The excavation revealed a 14-metre (46 ft) stage, and evidence of a tunnel under the stage and galleries at the first floor level. Small finds included a ceramic bird whistle; ceramic money boxes for collecting entry fees; beads probably used for decorating stage costumes; and a small statue of Bacchus.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Curtain Theatre (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Curtain Theatre
Hewett Street, London Shoreditch (London Borough of Hackney)

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.523055555556 ° E -0.079722222222222 °
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Hewett Street

Hewett Street
EC2A 3NN London, Shoreditch (London Borough of Hackney)
England, United Kingdom
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London theatres C16—C17, after Redwood
London theatres C16—C17, after Redwood
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Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street

Shoreditch High Street is the old main street of Shoreditch, London. It is part of the A10 road and connects Norton Folgate to the south with Kingsland Road to the north. It constitutes a segment of the Roman Ermine Street, which ran directly north from London to Lincoln and York. The parish church of St Leonard's, Shoreditch is situated at the north-east end of the road, at the crossroads where it meets with Hackney Road. In the past, Shoreditch High Street boasted both a prestigious theatre and a music hall, though these are now long gone; no trace survives. The National Standard Theatre at 2/3/4 Shoreditch High Street opened in 1837. By the late 19th century it was one of the largest theatres in London. In 1926, it was converted into a cinema called the New Olympia Picturedrome. The building was demolished in 1940. Sims Reeves, Mrs Marriott and James Robertson Anderson all performed there; the theatre also hosted programmes of classical opera and even Shakespeare, sometimes featuring well-known actors including Henry Irving. The Shoreditch Empire, also known as the London Music Hall, which opened in 1856, was situated at 95–99 Shoreditch High Street. It lasted longer than most East End halls, but finally closed in 1934 and was demolished the following year. As it traverses modern-day inner city Shoreditch, the road is lined with (sometimes derelict) commercial premises. To the east is the Boundary Estate, formerly the infamous "Jago" of Arthur Morrison's 1896 novel A Child of the Jago. The concentration of striptease pubs located along the road continues the local low-life tradition, though the recent opening of some trendy bars that cater to the affluent residents of nearby Hoxton indicates the arrival of gentrification in the area.A large department drapery store called Jeremiah Rotherham & Co once existed in the High Street, taking up the frontage from 80 to 91. The store also purchased the adjacent Shoreditch Empire Theatre in 1934 and built a warehouse on the site. When the main store was destroyed by bombing during the Blitz the company transferred to the new warehouse and reopened.