51.5174°N -0.0945°WSilver Street was a street in London. It ran from the north end of Noble Street at Falcon Square to Wood Street.[1] It originated in medieval times, and is one of the streets shown on a map known as the "Woodcut map of London" or the "Agas" map, which survives in a 17th-century version.[2]
Its inhabitants included the Mountjoy family with whom William Shakespeare lodged at the beginning of the 17th century.[3] According to Charles Nicholl, who has written a detailed analysis of Shakespeare's life on Silver Street, their house can be identified on the "Woodcut map".[4] The Mountjoys were Huguenots who ran a business making luxury headgear for ladies, including theatrical costumes.
During the Second World War the Cripplegate area, where the street was located, was virtually destroyed in the Blitz.
A commemorative stone marks the site of St Olave's Church, Silver Street, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.On 21 April 2016, the City of London installed a blue plaque in Noble Street, near the site of the Mountjoys' house.[5] [6] The plaque reads "William Shakespeare had lodgings near here in 1604, at the house of Christopher and Mary Mountjoy".