Henry VII became king in 1485, followed by Henry VIII. They were the first Tudor kings (Tudor was their family name). Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth I, was the last Tudor; the time when she was queen is called the Elizabethan period. Under the Tudors, London grew wealthier and bigger, spreading beyond the old City walls. By 1600, it had a population of about 200,000 people. Tudor end Elizabethan London

The first London theatres were built in Elizabethan times. The Globe Theatre was the most famous. Shakespeare owned part of the Globe and his plays were performed there. The theatre was built in a ring. It had no roof in the middle. Wealthy people could watch from seats in the galleries. It was cheapest to stand in front of the stage and watch. People who stood here were called “groundlings”. The stage stuck out into the middle of the theatre Elizabethan Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe.

The modern Globe The modern Globe opened in A copy of the Globe has been built by the Thames. There are performances of Shakespeare’s plays here in the summer.

The Tudors built lots of ships, including magnificent sailing ships, or “galleons” like the Golden Hinde. They can visit a copy of the Golden Hinde, a famous Elizabethan galleon, which he is moored at Saint Mary Overie Dock in London. Some Tudor ships left London to explore new parts of the world, such as America and India. The best way to travel around Tudor in London was by boat along the Thames. You can still travel up and down the Thames by boat today, although modern boats look rather different from Tudor ones. Ships and Boats.