St. Olave Silver Street, London

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, a handful of locations in the city still retained their status as authentic remnants of Shakespearean London. Among these places was the intersection of Silver and Muggle (or Monkwell) Streets in Cripplegate, although it has since nearly disappeared due to the extensive bombing during the Blitz.

Back in 1604, Shakespeare resided on Silver Street, taking lodging in the home of Christopher Mountjoy, a French Huguenot known for crafting decorative headpieces called "tires". It was within this house that he penned "Othello" and "King Lear". Regrettably, the building was consumed by the Great Fire, and the entire area underwent redevelopment after World War II. Silver Street, a brief thoroughfare, also featured St. Olave's Church, which stood nearly opposite the Bard's residence and likewise succumbed to the Great Fire's flames.

Today, within a small square along London Wall Street, a stone block bears a medieval carving of a skull and crossbones, marking the former graveyard of that church. This may well be the view that Shakespeare himself had while residing with the Mountjoy family.