Tudor London was a vibrant capital city, the very hub of English
cultural and political life. The thriving metropolis had a strong royal
presence, at the long established Tower of London and Westminster, and
later at the palaces of Whitehall, Bridewell and St James's, built by
Henry VIII to host his glittering court. Anne Boleyn was assigned a
house in the Strand, with gardens running down to the river, while
Elizabeth I stayed occasionally at Somerset House. The great and the
good gravitated to the city too: Erasmus lodged with Sir Thomas More and
his family in Bucklesbury, off Cheapside; Sir Walter Raleigh wrote
poetry in his study in Durham House, overlooking the Thames and William
Shakespeare lodged in Silver Street. Like today, streets and areas grew
up with their own distinct personality: Bankside and Shoreditch were the
first theatre and entertainment districts where the Globe Theatre was
built to sit alongside the bear-baiting rings. Londoners themselves, and
the many immigrants who flocked from the continent, created a lively,
raucous society in the streets, markets and the hundreds of inns and
ale-houses. Everyday Life in Tudor London vividly recreates this
colourful city.