The Route to Westminster

After arriving in London in the middle of the night, Samuel Kiechel found accommodation at the White Bear Inn in the heart of the city. There, he met other travellers, many of whom were noblemen, and together they visited Westminster Abbey and the Tower, watched animal fights, and went to a play.

From the inn on Basinghall Street, the easiest route to Westminster was to walk south to Cheapside, London’s main thoroughfare, then head west to where it split into Newgate Street and Paternoster Row just north of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The group would have turned onto Paternoster Row and continued to Ludgate Street, passing through the old boundary of London via Ludgate, a gate built in Roman times. From the gate, the route to Westminster was simple, following Fleet Street and the Strand to Charing Cross.

Samuel Kiechel mentioned seeing the palaces of many great lords in London, including the one where the Queen would stay during her visits to the city. He remarked that these places were located near Westminster Abbey. According to John Stow’s Survey of London, many grand houses belonging to bishops and the nobility lined Fleet Street and the Strand.

Our traveller saw many beautiful gardens in London. However, he noted that their beauty depended on the quality of the soil. Kiechel judged that the gardens in London were not comparable to those in Italy since no wine was cultivated on the island. These gardens were most likely situated in the areas of Westminster, the Strand and Fleet Street, as only wealthy individuals could afford the space and expense of planting a garden.

Queen Elizabeth’s residence in London was the Palace of Whitehall. It was located south of Charing Cross, and John Stow asserts that its origins date back to Edward the Confessor.¹ Henry VIII reconstructed the palace, and in the late sixteenth century, it served as the Queen’s primary residence when she visited the city. However, the palace was destroyed by fire in 1698.

The Tower

On 19 September, Samuel Kiechel and the other German travellers he had met at the White Bear Inn visited the Tower. The Tower was located on the Thames at the eastern end of the city. To reach it, Kiechel could have retraced his steps from the port in Billingsgate ward to the inn. The ward adjacent to Billingsgate was Tower Street, and, as the name suggests, its main street led directly to the Tower.

According to Samuel Kiechel, the Tower was heavily guarded, and visitors were not allowed to enter with weapons. All weapons had to be left in the guardhouse for safekeeping.

In the Tower, a guide led the group into a room displaying numerous pieces of gold jewellery set with gems. Next, he took them into another room filled with exquisite curtains, tapestries and pillows. Kiechel noted that these items were crafted from silk and gold, many of which were adorned with pearls. Most of these textiles were stacked to about head height. Our traveller lamented that they were not used, as many rooms and halls could have been furnished with them.⁵

Next, the visitors were shown an eagle, a lynx and eight lions. These animals were also housed in the same building (White Tower) and belonged to the Queen.

By the late sixteenth century, the Tower was no longer a royal residence. Instead, it served various functions and was an attraction for visitors. According to John Stow’s Survey of London, the Tower was “a citadel to defend or command the city; a royal palace for assemblies or treaties; a prison of state for the most dangerous offenders; the only place of coinage for all England at this time; the armoury for warlike provision; the treasury of the ornaments and jewels of the crown; and general conserver of the most records of the king’s courts of justice at Westminster.”⁶ It also housed the royal menagerie with its exotic animals. For a fee, the wardens showed visitors around.⁷

The Tower is recognisable on all the maps and views of London. It formed a distinct set of fortifications on the city’s eastern edge next to the Thames. Walls, a moat and several gatehouses separated it from the city. The characteristic appearance of the oldest part of the fortification complex, the Norman White Tower, is most clearly visible in Anton van den Wyngaerde’s panoramic view of London. The Flemish artist even made a separate drawing of the Tower. It may have been a preliminary sketch for his panorama.

Elizabethan Theatre

Samuel Kiechel found London to be a lively place. He noted that a wealth of entertainment was available to visitors, including fencing, dancing, music and learning to play a string instrument. People could also learn various languages such as French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and English. London had schools for each of these languages, as well as churches offering services in multiple tongues. Besides English churches, there were Dutch, Italian and French churches with their respective preachers.

Moreover, London boasted ballrooms, and comedies (plays) were performed daily. Samuel Kiechel attended one of these plays and mentioned that it was particularly entertaining to see the Queen’s “comedianten” act on stage. However, he remarked that a foreigner unfamiliar with the language might find it difficult to understand much of it.¹³

Samuel Kiechel learned that plays were performed in dedicated venues (theatres) across London, where large audiences gathered to watch. He wrote that these venues were constructed with three storeys stacked vertically. Theatre owners could earn fifty to sixty Thalers from a single performance, especially if it featured a new play that justified doubling the entry fee. Plays were staged throughout the week, except on Fridays and Saturdays, though this rule was often disregarded.¹⁵

Until the mid-sixteenth century, English theatrical productions mainly consisted of miracle plays and scenes from the Bible. However, these plays were seen as remnants of Catholic tradition during Elizabeth’s reign and were suppressed. Nonetheless, it was not force that drove the developments that defined theatre for centuries; instead, public interest shifted towards secular plays. The first English play incorporating blank verse was performed for Queen Elizabeth in 1562. It was a success, and subsequent plays followed suit.¹⁶

Shortly thereafter, theatre companies began performing in the yards of large inns, such as the Boar’s Head in Whitechapel Street. The actors were all male, with boys dressed as women to portray female roles.

Following the success and popularity of these performances, the first purpose-built theatre, the Red Lion in Whitechapel, was constructed in 1567. However, it failed to attract large audiences because it was situated too far from the city, leading people to continue watching performances in the inns instead.¹⁷

Attending plays was extremely popular among all social classes in Elizabethan London. People would queue for entry. The admission fee was one penny for standing in the yard in front of the stage, with extra charges for those wishing to secure a place in the gallery. Unlike modern performances, the audience was far from silent. They would chat, and vendors moved through the crowds selling snacks and drinks. There was also a risk of pickpockets.¹⁹

The Elizabethan theatre must have been a truly novel experience for Samuel Kiechel. 1585 was still before the time of Shakespeare and other renowned English playwrights of the Elizabethan Age. Nonetheless, theatre performances were already developing, laying the foundation for the revolution that would occur a few years later.