Globe Theatre Exhibition and Tour

There are a couple of different ways to visit the Globe Theatre, located in this round, rustic looking building on the south bank.  If you want to know about the history behind Shakespeare's Globe and the theatre itself, the best way is to visit the Exhibition and Tour.  The other way is to really experience it for yourself, by booking to see a show.

Shakespeare's Globe and Exhibition

The exhibition is a self guided walk around part of the building attached to the Globe.  It contains much reading material and information about the historic past of the theatre.  It also contains some of the costumes, and you are able to take your time looking at your own pace.  Subject to there being no performance on, you can also take a guided tour around the theatre itself, and I would highly recommend doing this.  (Best to check whether the tours are running by checking first).  

This is a timed ticket, so you'll book and join a particular tour and then can look round the exhibition before or after.  The guide stops at various points inside the theatre so you can get a feel for how it would have been to be able to sit in the nicer seats or to be standing in front of the stage where the cheap tickets are.

View of the stage from one of the best seats

Since the Globe is an open air theatre, be prepared to get wet if the weather is bad :)

Ceiling in the theatre

Alternatively, when the season is running (check the website for details, the season runs from spring to autumn), it is possible to book tickets to go and see a show.  Watch out also for special deals, there have occasionally been tickets available for as little as £5 in the standing area, and there are a range of productions, from the expected Shakespeare plays to a few selected more modern ones.

View of the theatre from the inside

You'll also find there is a shop and a restaurant attached to the Globe theatre (but plenty of places to eat closeby as well).

Find out more about visiting by going to the official website.

OXO Tower and Gabriel's Wharf

The OXO tower is close to Blackfriars Bridge on the south bank of the Thames.  From the bridge, it is possible to see the tower with the letters OXO running vertically.  Once owned by the manufacturers of OXO cubes, it now houses a bar and brasserie and also a more expensive restaurant (run by Harvey Nichols), and offers stunning views of the Thames from all.  There are also vegetarian and vegan menus for the brasserie and restaurant, which is good to know if you have non-meat eaters in your party, but you do need to book in advance.  However, we have eaten in the bar before (although the menu is limited), and the food was tasty (we had the burgers), less pricey and we still had a great view, even without booking.

The OXO Tower building

If you don't want to eat or drink though, there is also a free public viewing gallery up here, to take in views of the city.

Underneath the main tower are many little shops and a few cafes on the ground and first floors, selling a wide variety of things from jewellery to funky gifts, clothes and home wares.  Also on the ground floor is a gallery which houses some really interesting exhibitions which are usually free to take a look around, change frequently and are worth popping into.

Just next to Oxo Tower Wharf is Gabriel's Wharf which also has many more little designer-maker shops, and also a delicious pizza restaurant and bike hire scheme; it is easy to spend some time browsing around both the OXO Tower and Gabriel's Wharf, and together with other local projects, this area is known as the Coin Street Community.

Gabriel's Wharf, and London Beach!
Look out for the man sculpting sand on the corner

Shops at Gabriel's Wharf
(Vendula (L) is fab for handbags)

More shops at Gabriel's Wharf

You can easily spend a couple of hours eating, drinking and pottering around the shops.  A handy thing to also note is that there are public toilets in the yellow building in Gabriel's Wharf.