Description: This item is an authentic United Kingdom decimal postage stamp with a face value of 25 pence, issued by the Royal Mail. The multi-colored design features an intricate watercolor illustration by renowned historical artist Cyril Walter Hodges, capturing an aerial view of The Hope Theatre as it appeared in 1613. The distinctive polygon-shaped wooden playhouse is depicted with its thatched roof, central open courtyard, and a prominent St. George's Cross flag flying high from the rooftop turret. Bustling crowds, street performers, an exotic trained bear, and a mounted equestrian figure gather along the foreground path near the banks of the River Thames. The top right-hand corner displays the classic silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the large denomination typography.
Circa: 1995
Condition: MNH
Notes:
This specific printing belongs to a highly celebrated five-stamp set titled "Reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre," which was released to commemorate the modern rebuilding of the iconic venue on London's South Bank. Unlike the other traditional playhouses featured in this collection, The Hope was explicitly built as a dual-purpose venue designed to alternate between classic theatrical plays and violent animal-baiting sports like bear and bull baiting. Because it had to accommodate wild animals, the stage was uniquely engineered to be completely removable, sitting on trestles that could be packed away to clear the central arena floor.