Red Lion

The Red Lion was an Elizabethan playhouse in Whitechapel, now part of London’s Borough of Tower Hamlets. It stood just outside the City of London on open farmland. Built in 1567 for grocer John Brayne, it was the first purpose-built playhouse in London. The venture aimed to give touring companies a permanent venue. Theatre historian Andrew Gurr calls it the forerunner of all commercial theatre in the city. Its existence lasted only a few months before it closed. The playhouse began as a tavern before Brayne converted it into a theatre. Court records show it had a single gallery, a fixed stage measuring 12 metres by 9 metres, and a trapdoor. The stage cost £8 10s to build, with the whole project costing £20. Only one play, The Story of Samson, is known to have been performed there. By the 1690s or 1700s the building served for animal baiting before its galleries were demolished within 20 years. Archaeologists confirmed the site in 2019 near Stepney Way during redevelopment work. A public open space called Red Lion Square now marks the location. A pillar shows the height of the original stage, and paving stones outline the building’s footprint. The discovery matches records from the Carpenters’ Company and King’s Bench. Visitors can see the remains and the stage-height marker in a quiet corner of Whitechapel.