A replica of it was built for a 1912 exhibition in Earl’s Court, 85 years before another opened on the other side of the river
The Final Jeopardy clue for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, appeared in the category “Famous Buildings” and read: “A replica of it was built for a 1912 exhibition in Earl’s Court, 85 years before another opened on the other side of the river.” The clue points to one of the most famous theatres in literary history. The correct response is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
What Is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre?
The correct response is the Globe Theatre, the London playhouse most closely associated with William Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men.
The original Globe opened in 1599 on the south bank of the River Thames. It became the setting for performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays and remains one of the best-known theatre buildings in history.
The 1912 Earl’s Court Replica
In 1912, a recreation of the Globe was constructed for the Shakespeare’s England exhibition at Earl’s Court in London.
The replica was designed by celebrated architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and was built at approximately half the scale of the original theatre. It formed part of a much larger exhibition designed to recreate aspects of Elizabethan England.
What Happened Inside the Replica Globe?
The Earl’s Court Globe was not simply an exterior display. Performances took place inside, giving visitors an opportunity to experience an approximation of an Elizabethan playhouse.
Actors staged extracts from Shakespeare and other early modern dramatists, while the building itself attempted to evoke the atmosphere of the theatre where Shakespeare’s company had performed centuries earlier.
The Modern Shakespeare’s Globe
Exactly 85 years later, in 1997, a much more ambitious reconstruction opened in London. The modern Shakespeare’s Globe was built on Bankside, close to the location of the original theatre.
The project was strongly associated with American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, who spent decades campaigning for a reconstruction of the Globe near its historic site.
Why “The Other Side of the River” Matters
Earl’s Court is on the north side of the Thames in west London, while the modern Shakespeare’s Globe stands on the south bank of the river.
That geographic contrast is the key to the second half of the clue. The temporary 1912 recreation and the permanent 1997 theatre were separated not only by 85 years but also by their positions on opposite sides of London’s defining river.
The Original Globe Theatre
The first Globe was constructed in 1599 using timber from an earlier playhouse called The Theatre. Shakespeare was a shareholder in the company that operated it.
The building was destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII. A second Globe was built on the same site the following year but was later demolished after theatres were closed during the English Civil War period.
Reconstructing a Theatre That Had Vanished
Because detailed architectural plans of the original Globe did not survive, every later reconstruction has involved a degree of interpretation.
Historians, archaeologists and theatre scholars have used contemporary illustrations, written records, archaeological discoveries and comparisons with surviving or excavated playhouses to estimate what Shakespeare’s Globe may have looked like.
Why the Globe Theatre Is the Correct Answer
The 1912 Earl’s Court replica provides the first major clue, while the reference to another version opening 85 years later points directly to the modern Shakespeare’s Globe, inaugurated in 1997.
The correct Final Jeopardy response is therefore What is the Globe Theatre?, the famous Shakespearean playhouse recreated first at Earl’s Court and later much more permanently on Bankside.