As the Globe Theatre prepares to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday on April 23rd, theatregoers can now take an audio tour of Shakespeare's Southwark with Podtours.
Podtours' downloadable audio tour, priced at £5, takes visitors around Southwark, from London Bridge to Bankside, through Borough Market and to some of the tavern yards off Borough High Street. As the tour continues, Jon Crampton tells stories of the theatre world of Shakespeare's day – as well as other tales – and points out interesting places.
Southwark in Shakespeare's day was full of pleasure palaces- not just theatres, but bear baiting rings, taverns, bathhouses, and brothels. Unlike the Puritan City on the other side of the river, with its rules and regulations, this was a borough where all kinds of business and pleasure were tolerated. Poets and playwrights rubbed shoulders with sailors and explorers – you can still see a fine replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind – and it was the Bishop of Winchester who was responsible for laying down the law in a borough stuffed with prostitutes known as 'Winchester geese'.
The audio tour can be downloaded from http://www.podtours.co.uk/
For more information contact Andrea Kirkby (andrea@andreakirkby.com)
