Shakespeare’s Signature and 16th-Century London Map to Go on Show at The London Archives
Shakespeare in London takes centre stage this summer with a rare chance to see the playwright’s own signature and a detailed 16th-century map of the streets he once walked. The free exhibition, held at The London Archives in Clerkenwell from 30th June to 25th September, invites visitors to explore Shakespeare’s London through original documents, artefacts, and historic prints brought together for the first time.
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Exhibition dates: 30th June – 25th September
Location: The London Archives, Clerkenwell
A Signature That Changed Theatre
Faint, blotchy, and partially illegible, Shakespeare’s signature appears on a parchment deed for a property in Blackfriars, purchased in 1613 – likely as an investment. The house would have stood within walking distance of both the Globe and Blackfriars theatres. Although it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, the deed places it near what is now St Andrew’s Hill.
The document, acquired by the City Corporation in 1843, is one of just six known examples of Shakespeare’s signature in the world – making this a rare moment for anyone interested in literary or legal history.
Mapping Shakespeare’s London
Displayed alongside the deed is the Civitas Londinum map (c.1633), offering a bird’s-eye view of the city as it was during Shakespeare’s life. Based on the earlier Copperplate Map of the 1550s, only three known prints of this version survive.
The map spans from Southwark across the Thames to Hampstead and Highgate, showing landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral without its spire (destroyed by lightning in 1561) and Gray’s Inn. Laundry hangs in the fields beyond London Wall, with windmills, livestock and figures captured in everyday activity.
A Poet’s Tribute
In a nod to the literary legacy left in Shakespeare’s wake, the Archives will also display Romantic poet John Keats’ annotated facsimile of the First Folio (1808). The Folio, published in 1623, gathered all of Shakespeare’s plays for the first time – and Keats’ handwritten notes offer a rare glimpse into how one great writer read another.
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