Scholar Lucy Munro of King’s College London has identified the precise location of William Shakespeare’s only owned London home in the Blackfriars neighborhood. By analyzing a 1668 property map created after the Great Fire of London, Munro pinpointed the site—now occupied by Ireland Yard and St. Andrew’s Hill—which was previously known only through vague historical references to the Blackfriars Gatehouse.
This discovery challenges the long-held belief that Shakespeare retired abruptly to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613. The purchase of a substantial residence so close to the Blackfriars Theatre suggests the playwright intended to maintain a permanent base for his professional life in London, potentially writing his final plays within its walls rather than treating the property as a mere financial investment.