Synopsis
Among the Byrom collection's precise geometric drawings of little-observed features of Westminster Abbey, the Temple Church in London, King's College Chapel in Cambridge and Milan Cathedral, are what purport to be the setting-out plans for the original Globe Theatre, the Rose and five other Elizabethan playhouses. The author made these documents available to those involved in rebuilding the Globe on Bankside, who chose to discount their validity and Hancox's interpretation of them. Since then, archaeological excavations at the Globe site have lent support to the accounts in this book. The new theatre itself has already been criticised for its size, inadequate acoustics and poor sightlines. The author's own interpretation of the Byrom drawings would result in a smaller, eight-sided structure in which an overall harmony of design would come together to provide good sightlines and good acoustics. Additional evidence to this effect is provided by Professor John Gleeson of the University of San Francisco.
Even more remarkable, the concept behind all these architectural designs is shared with the round churches of the Templars, the mosques of Islam and open air theatres of ancient Greece and Rome.
