The precise location of William Shakespeare’s only London home was identified in Blackfriars after researchers uncovered a previously unknown floorplan and matched it with a newly found old map that reveals the property’s position, layout, and size. The blue plaque on St Andrew’s Hill, long described as being near the site, is in fact mounted on the very spot where the house stood, according to the BBC. The identification was led by Lucy Munro of King’s College London, who determined the location and dimensions of the house Shakespeare purchased in 1613.
For centuries, the exact whereabouts of the residence were uncertain even though it was known the playwright owned a house in the Blackfriars area, according to France 24. The discovery suggests Shakespeare may have spent more time in London than previously believed, challenging the view that he retired from the theatre soon after the purchase and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. At the same time, scholars note that he could still have divided his later years between Stratford and the capital; he was still writing plays in 1613 and appears to have let the property to a tenant.
Blackfriars ownership
Munro identified the exact spot and internal arrangement of the building using evidence not previously linked to the property, including a floorplan whose existence had not been recognised in this context and an old map that clarified the plot. Researchers believe these materials indicate a more sustained London presence for Shakespeare in the period after the 1613 purchase than had been assumed. While the broad fact of Blackfriars ownership has long been part of the historical record, the newly pinpointed address and its physical characteristics now provide concrete detail that had eluded researchers for generations.
The location matters to how scholars interpret Shakespeare’s working life in his final years. If the Blackfriars property was not merely an investment but a practical base, it would align with the continuing activity of 1613 and the likelihood of a tenant arrangement, while complicating narratives that place him predominantly in Stratford from that point onward.