Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

The Rose theatre

Location

City of London

Country

United Kingdom

Year of Research

1587

Culture

The Rose was built in 1587 by Philip Henslowe and by a grocer named John Cholmley. The theatre was built on a message called the \"Little Rose,\" which Henslowe had leased from the parish of St. Mildred in 1585.
It contained extensive rose gardens and two buildings; Cholmley used one as a storehouse, while Henslowe appears to have leased the other as a brothel.
The building was of timber, with a lath and plasters external and thatch roof. It was polygonal in shape, about 21 meters in diameter.
City records show that it was in use by late 1587; however, it is not mentioned in Henslowe\'s accounts between its construction and 1592, and it is possible that he leased it to an acting company with which he was not otherwise concerned.
The Rose was home to the Admiral\'s Men for numerous years.
When the Lord Chamberlain\'s Men built the Globe Theatre on the Bankside in 1599, however, the Rose was put into a complex position.