Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Sir Ian Unveils Plaque on Rose Theatre Site

The celebrated actor Sir Ian McKellen has unveiled a plaque on the site of the famous Rose Theatre in Bankside in London, as part of Southwark Council’s commitment to the arts and tourism.

The Rose was situated in Rose Alley, off Park Street, around the corner from the original Globe Theatre, which was famously rebuilt in the 1990s at the instigation of the American actor Sam Wanamaker, and is now a huge tourist attraction.

The Rose Theatre was built around 1587, in Elizabeth I’s reign, by the playwright Philip Henslow.

Sir Ian McKellen is a distinguished Shakespearean actor, who is now a hero to younger generations by playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Widow Twankey in the pantomime “Aladdin”.

The Rose Theatre site is featured on my popular “Southwark and Bankside” Guided Walk.