Hope

The Hope, the last playhouse to be built on Bankside, replaced an earlier bear baiting arena. Five bear gardens are known to have been built here and the Hope was number 4. Recent archaeological excavations have revealed a polygonal building of ten sides with an internal diameter of 16m and external diameter of 24m. The Hope served as both a theatre and a place for animal baiting. It was built for Lady Elizabeth’s Men who performed Jonson’s 'Bartholomew Fair' for the first time on 31 October 1614. The contract for the Hope (which may have been built to exploit the gap in provision left by the burning of the neighbouring Globe) shows that it was closely modelled on the Swan, but with a removable stage and a heavens without column supports. After Henslowe’s death in 1616, Edward Alleyn took over his share but the acting company left in 1617. Following Alleyn’s death in 1626, plays were discontinued but bear baiting continued until 1642 when, following several accidents, it was closed along with all public theatres. It was demolished in 1656.