The Hope Theatre was built near the site of the Bear Garden, but between 2m to 4.05m to the S on Crown land (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 18). During its early years the playhouse was a dual purpose arena built for animal baiting on Thursdays and Sundays as well as plays on other days of the week. The building was constructed using timber from the old Bear Garden and its stable, plus more purchased from a demolished property on Thames Street. 'The galleries were to rest on a brick foundation rising at least 13 inches above ground level, and people were to get into them via two staircases adjoining outside. The building was to have lead gutters, and its roof was to be tiled.' The contract for the Hope specifies that it was modeled in the same 'large compasse, fforme, wideness, and height as the playhouse called the Swan,' situated further W in the manor of Paris Garden (Wickham et al, English Professional Theatre, 595--6, 598).
ca. 1614 Articles of agreement signed between Henslowe, Meade and Lady Elizabeth's Men, a merger with the Children of the Chapel Royal.
1614 The Hope may have opened by the summer but there is certain evidence that the playhouse was open by 7 October when John Taylor was booked for a flyting contest with William Fennor (who didn't show).
1614, 31 October Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair premiered at the Hope by Lady Elizabeth's Men. In Jonson's 'The Induction on the Stage,' the Hope Theatre is derided as 'dirty as Smithfield and as stinking every whit' (Wickham et al, English Professional Theatre, 602).
1615 Lady Elizabeth's Men drew up 'Articles of grievance' against Henslowe about the conditions of the dual-purpose playhouse, including the complaint that they had been shortchanged for 'lying still one day in fourteen for his baiting' (Wickham et al, English Professional Theatre, 603). They subsequently left playing at the Hope.
1615 Henslowe made agreement with a newly merged company of Prince Charles' men with some of Lady Elizabeth's players to use the Hope as their performance base.
1617 Prince Charles' men left playing at the Hope, due to sharing space with bearbaiting. Baiting, fighting, fencing and other exhibits continued until the 1640s.
Demolished long since. Partial excavation of the site of the Bear Garden and Hope was done in 1996.
1613, 29 August Contract for the construction of the Hope signed between Philip Henslowe, Jacob Meade and the carpenter, Gilbert Katherens.
1613, 8 September Sub-contract for brickwork signed between Katherens and the bricklayer, John Browne.
1614 Hope playhouse opened for varied performances.
1615/16, 6 January Philip Henslowe died and his estate passed to his wife Agnes. Edward Alleyn assumed management with Jacob Meade of Prince Charles' Men.
1615/16, 25 January Suit launched in the Chancery Court by Henslowe's nephew John against Agnes Henslowe, Edward Alleyn and Roger Cole challenging the terms of the will signed by Henslowe on his deathbed. John Henslowe died in September 1617, without resolution of the case in his favour (Briley, 'Edward Alleyn') .
1617, 15 February Agnes Henslowe died, with much of Henslowe's estate passed to her daughter Joan and husband, Edward Alleyn. Philip's brother William had inherited the lease on the Hope/Bear Garden property in 1616.
1617, May John and his uncle, William Henslowe, entered a new suit in the Star Chamber against Robert Bromfield, Edward Alleyn, Roger Cole, James Archer, John Horton, and Nicholas Sheppheard, overseers of Henslowe’s will (Sisson, 'Henslowe's Will').
1617, June Edward Alleyn launched a Chancery Court suit against William Henslowe, disputing ownership of the Bear Garden. The two men resolved their dispute by 1 March 1618/19 (Briley, 'Edward Alleyn').
1618 The Attorney General began a case on behalf of the Crown in the Court of Exchequer against the Bishop of Winchester, William Henslowe and Jacob Meade, for boundary infractions, claiming that the Hope straddled two properties, the Bell and Cock owned by the Bishop of Winchester, and Crown land immediately to the S, bordering on Maid Lane. The case was not settled until 1624. The common name reverted back to Bear Garden.
1643, 30 November Parliament ordered closure of the Bear Garden but it continued to operate.
1648 Parliament attempted again to close the Bear Garden but it remained operational (Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 20).
1653, 7 May Colonel Thomas Pride, MP, signed an order that 'Bear baiting, bull baiting and playing for prizes by fencers hitherto practised in Southwark and other places, which have caused great evils and abominations, [are] to be suppressed from this time' (as quoted in Mackinder et al, Hope playhouse, 20).
ca. 1656 The Bear Garden was demolished and the land converted to other uses.
by 1662, September A fifth Bear Garden was built S of the site by Thomas Davies, whose son James had been appointed joint Master of the Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs by Charles I in February 1638/9.
