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Shakespeare in the City - A talk

Shakespeare in the City - A talk

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About This Event

Pete Smith delivers a talk at Shoe Lane Library on Friday 18 September 2026, tracing the surviving remnants of Shakespeare’s London through the modern City landscape. The one-hour session begins at 1pm and examines the physical and historical traces of the playwright’s life and work, from the site of the Curtain Theatre to the alleyways that once echoed with his verse. Smith, a London guide, draws on archival records and contemporary geography to reconstruct the world that shaped the plays. The event is free to attend, with no booking required, and offers a quiet, learned reflection on how the city still carries the weight of its theatrical past.

Join London guide Pete Smith for a talk exploring what remnants of Shakespeare can still be found in the City

This page is for in-person tickets for this event - please see our separate page for online tickets.

Although we may think of Shakespeare as “the man from Stratford”, he spent most of his creative life in London, and London left its mark on him. In this talk, Pete Smith will introduce you to what traces of him can still be found in and around the City.

Pete Smith is a Cambridge English graduate with a lifelong interest in London. After a career as a university teacher specialising in nineteenth-century literature, he retrained as a London guide, and is currently a freelance lecturer and tourist guide, with his own small walking-tour company, London City Walks (www.londoncitywalks.co.uk). He is the author of A-Z London Hidden Walks (HarperCollins, 2022).

This event will be delivered both in-person and online. To book an online ticket, please visit our online booking page.

Looking for more compelling stories from Shoe Lane Library? Check out our Eventbrite profile for more talks, events, lectures and historical discussions!

If you have a disability you wish us to consider when attending our events, please inform the staff in advance.

Associated Walk: In Shakespeare’s Footsteps – 19th September 2026. Cost of walk £10 bookable independently on www.londoncitywalks.co.uk

After meeting at 11.00 a.m. by the pond in Guildhall Yard outside the entrance to St Lawrence Jewry church, Pete Smith picks out a route through the core of Elizabethan and Jacobean London, visiting places where Shakespeare lived, worked and spent his leisure time with friends and fellow writers.

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Frequently asked questions

Shakespeare in the City - A talk takes place on Friday, 18 September 2026 at 13:00.

Shakespeare in the City - A talk is held at Shoe Lane Library in London (1 Little New Street, London, EC4A 3JR).

Entry to Shakespeare in the City - A talk is free.

Tickets for Shakespeare in the City - A talk can be booked via Eventbrite using the "Check Tickets & Live Prices" button on this page, which opens the official booking site in a new tab.

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Price

Free Entry

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