4 Hayward’s Place, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 0EH
Site of Red Bull Theatre
Tiny historic site
Place photograph
2.5
Wildland
Under 1 hour
Time
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Cost
Atmospheric
Feel
Why it's Wildland
2.5A quiet Clerkenwell address marks the place where London playgoers watched performances by Queen Anna’s Men and other companies in the early 17th century. The outdoor Red Bull opened in 1604, hosted the first performance of John Webster’s The White Devil in 1612, and continued staging plays until the theatres closed in 1642. The building itself survived until 1661.
This is a small, urban heritage stop rather than a natural escape, but its address connects an ordinary Clerkenwell passage to the working theatrical world of Jacobean London. The strongest reason to visit is the contrast between the unassuming present-day site and the plays and companies once associated with it.
Atmospheric
Find your way
Open map4 Hayward’s Place, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 0EH
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The experience
A brief, self-guided visit to the Haywards Place location, best paired with reading the site’s theatre history before you arrive. No surviving theatre interior or visitor facilities are documented.
Things to do
Locate the former theatre site
Visit the Haywards Place location identified with the Red Bull, an outdoor playhouse opened in 1604. The source describes access to the place through a brick archway from St John’s Street; check current access before visiting.
Under 1 hour
Trace the theatre’s companies and plays
Read the record of companies that performed at the Red Bull, including Queen Anna’s Men, Prince Charles’s Men and the Red Bull Company. The site also hosted John Webster’s The White Devil in 1612.
15–30 minutes
Make a day of it
Quick escape · Under 1 hour
Find the former playhouse site
- 01
Go to Haywards Place in Clerkenwell and identify the former Red Bull Theatre location.
- 02
Read the site history beforehand or on your phone: the outdoor playhouse opened in 1604 and staged plays until the 1642 theatre closure.
- 03
Pause to picture the companies and audiences associated with this otherwise modest urban setting.
Half day · Half day
Add a little more Jacobean Clerkenwell
- 01
Visit the Red Bull Theatre site in Haywards Place.
- 02
Continue to St John’s Gate and St John’s Square, following the source’s directions through the surrounding Clerkenwell streets.
- 03
Use the source’s listed nearby historic locations, including the Fortune and the former St John’s Priory buildings, as further reading or stops where access allows.
Verified history
The Red Bull was an outdoor playhouse opened in 1604 at what is now Haywards Place, formerly Red Bull Yard. It staged plays until the 1642 theatre closure, although the building stood until 1661. John Webster’s The White Devil premiered there in 1612. The source records Queen Anna’s Men among the companies based there, alongside Prince Charles’s Men and the Red Bull Company.
Hidden details
The playhouse outlasted the 1642 closure — The theatres stopped staging plays in 1642, but the Red Bull building reportedly remained standing until 1661—nearly two decades later.
A difficult premiere for The White Devil — The source notes that Webster’s The White Devil was poorly received at the Red Bull in 1612; Webster later argued in print that the playhouse was an unsuitable setting for the tragedy.
When to go
· No particular time is established by the available evidence.
The site’s significance is historical rather than seasonal; the supplied source gives no seasonal visiting information.
This is an outdoor urban location. Check the forecast and current access before visiting.
Worth pairing with
Fortune playhouse site
Listed by the source as a nearby historic theatre location; verify its precise location and access separately before planning a stop.
St John’s Priory Buildings, Clerkenwell
A nearby historic location listed by the source, suitable as a possible addition to a Clerkenwell history walk; verify access separately.
What to look for
- 01
The brick archway from St John’s Street identified as an access point to Haywards Place
- 02
the present-day street setting of the former theatre site. No surviving theatre fabric or on-site interpretation is confirmed by the source.
The story
Literature
Best time to go
Any season; this is an outdoor urban history stop, and no seasonal advantage is documented.
No particular time of day is supported by the available source. Check access before setting out.
How long to spend
Under 1 hour
Perfect for
History lovers
Before you go
Practical information
Opening & access
The former theatre site is identified with Haywards Place, which the source describes as accessible through a brick archway from St John’s Street. This is an urban location, not a preserved theatre building; check access and local conditions before visiting.
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Parking
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Toilets
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Food & drink
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Dogs
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Accessibility
The source describes a route to the site through an archway and along local streets. Step-free access and other accessibility details are not specified; check before visiting.
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Cost
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Gallery
Place photographsKeep exploring
Around Site of Red Bull Theatre
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
