New Floorplan Discovery Pinpoints Shakespeare’s Only London House and Challenges Retirement Narrative

King's College London researcher uncovers 1668 floorplan pinpointing William Shakespeare's Blackfriars house, revealing new details about his later life.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 16, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from King's College London

A Centuries-Old Literary Mystery Resolved in the Archives

The precise whereabouts of William Shakespeare’s final London residence have been clarified following the discovery of a 1668 floorplan drawn after the Great Fire of London. While scholars have long known that Shakespeare acquired a gatehouse in the Blackfriars precinct, its specific footprint remained elusive, marked only by a vague commemorative plaque on St Andrew’s Hill. This new evidence, uncovered across The London Archives and The National Archives, confirms that the property stood exactly where the modern-day plaque is located, spanning areas now occupied by Ireland Yard and Burgon Street.

Substantial Dimensions of a Blackfriars Landmark

The uncovered documents reveal a property of significant scale, measuring 45 feet from east to west and varying between 13 and 15 feet in width. Although the portion of the house that literally spanned the "Great Gate" was not recorded in post-fire plans due to its lack of a traditional foundation, the remaining structure was large enough to be divided into two separate dwellings by 1645. According to the research, the house was situated within the historic 13th-century Dominican friary precinct, offering Shakespeare a residence that was both a status symbol and a practical urban base.

Challenging the Traditional Stratford Retirement Theory

This discovery provides compelling evidence that Shakespeare did not simply retreat to Stratford-upon-Avon to live as a country gentleman after 1613. Professor Lucy Munro suggests that the substantial nature of the Blackfriars house points toward continued professional engagement in the capital. She notes that since Shakespeare was co-authoring "Two Noble Kinsmen" with John Fletcher during this period, it is entirely possible that portions of the play were composed within these very walls, rather than in his native Warwickshire.