Shakespeare's London on 5 Groats a Day

A reconstruction of Elizabethan London written in the style of a contemporary guidebook, Shakespeare's London on Five Groats a Day does exactly what it says on the tin. It is fascinating to look at the city as it was in an earlier time, when the Tower of London secured the walls of the City and Westminster remained far outside them, old London Bridge hadn't yet fallen down, and the south bank remained largely rural (with notable exceptions like the Globe Theatre).

Richard Tames' book is full of interesting titbits and the guidebook gimmick mostly works. We look, on arrival in the reconstructed city, through the eyes of a foreign traveller (which I suppose we are). We become convinced of the daily life of Tudor England, its grime and show more routine and its "clatter and chatter in the courtyards" (pg. 34). The flavour of the place emerges, though unfortunately this does not extend to the writing, which is rather dry and hampered by the guidebook structure. Enjoyment of the book is limited by the fact there is no narrative to follow, no opportunity to cut loose one's imagination from our tour guide's path. Nevertheless, under Tames' direction Shakespeare's London shows itself to be a very interesting place to visit for a time. show less

I’m glad I read this before [b:The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England|10372167|The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England|Ian Mortimer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310154077s/10372167.jpg|15275497].

It’s basically an overview of the sights and personages of London in 1599. I’d say it does what it says on the tin, but I didn’t actually tally the average daily outlay to see if the 5 groat limit was respected. Fairly interesting, but some of the phrasing was awkward.

For example: “By the time Anne was old enough to be married Hewett, who had become very rich, refused all others but Osborn, giving him both his daughter and a huge dowry.”

Osborn had rescued Anne as an infant when she fell out of the window of show more Hewett's house on London Bridge, you see, but something radical should have been done to that sentence.

[1 groat = 4 pence] show less

Written up in the style of a modern travel guide, but contains much genuine information about London in Shakespeare's time.