The most famous view of London is by Wenceslaus Hollar, an engraving titled “Long View of London From Bankside”, which shows the dense tapestry of buildings on either side of the Thames. The view stretches from the Globe Theatre, at the far left (west) to the Tower of London on the far right (east).

On September 28, 2019, The Globe and Mail published an enchanting version of this engraving by Nick Craine, called “A Long View of Shakespeare’s London”.  One of the highlights is a lively rendition of the chaos of buildings surrounding old Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

The first Globe Theatre burnt down in June 1613, so Hollar’s map actually shows the second one, built a year later but closed by the Puritans in September 1642. Hollar mislabelled the theatre Bear bayting and labelled the bear-baiting house the Globe. Craine has happily corrected this error, and shows the bear “theatre” as another circular building with a flagpole to the right of the Globe.

In fact, Hollar’s work was printed in 1647, thirty years after Shakespeare died, but fortunately predates the Great Fire of 1666, which destroyed over 70% of the City. The Saint Paul’s Cathedral engraved by Hollar is the pre-fire and spire-less building. (The spire had been destroyed by lightning in 1561.)  After the Great Fire, Christopher Wren was tasked with the rebuilding, and the cathedral we know today, with the iconic dome, was finished in 1711.