Cockpit Theatre
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The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix.
These plans, originally thought to be drawn by Inigo Jones, but now attributed to his protege John Webb, may be for the Cockpit Theatre. The drawings were originally believed to be the Blackfriars theatre.
Patent theatre
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The patent theatres were the theatres that were licensed to perform "spoken drama" after the Restoration of Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660. Other theatres were prohibited
Cockpit Theatre
…compete with this relatively grand new theatre and was further hamstrung since it was shut out of the monopoly on "legitimate drama" granted to the two patent companies. There is no record of any play being mounted at the Cockpit after 1665; the eventual fate of the structure is unknown. The Phoenix was located in the…
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1812. Drury Lane was established as one of the patent theatres in 1663 during the reign of Charles II.
For a period there was only one licensed theatre company operating in London, under the management of Thomas Betterton's United Company.