During the early modern period the changes in English culture were so profound that the first few centuries are considered "The English Renaissance;" literally, "rebirth." Three spaces in London that experienced such change were the church, theater, and market. What these three institutions have in common is that they were all meeting places where ideas and money could be exchanged; possibly, this is the reason for their inconstancy during the Renaissance. Below, I've described some of the ways in which each of these spaces were altered.
Church
Prior to the English Reformation, the English monarchy and therefore the English, were Roman Catholic. Simony kept the church very rich and their patrons very poor until Henry VIII's divorce separated the crown from the Roman Catholic Church. In 1534, Henry required, through The Act of Supremacy, that all religious houses recognize him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, rather than the pope. However, according to Historic UK the wealthiest Catholics in England were the monasteries, which were also the most loyal supporters of the pope. Consequently, Henry began shutting down the monasteries. By 1540, over 800 monasteries were closed and by 1600, some of the prominent London monasteries had been repurposed to townhomes, theaters, and meeting places (Open City: London, 1500-1700).
Unlike the monasteries, parishes remained intact although some people who were unwilling to change their faith, left their parishes and continued to practice Catholicism. With the reign of Queen Mary, and the reinstating of a Catholic Bishop, whom Henry had appointed when the English Church was Catholic, and whom Henry's son, James VI had later imprisoned, the official religion became Catholic once more (Open City: London, 1500-1700). This lasted only until Queen Elizabeth I's reign, when most of the population gradually became Protestant (Elizabeth I and the Church).
Theater
One of the institutions that fell victim to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries was a Dominican monastery that was repurposed several times before becoming the famous Blackfriar Theater, where the works of William Shakespeare and other playwrights were presented to the public (Open City: London, Interactive Map). Theater was popular amongst all social classes in London, and drama even enjoyed aristocratic patronage, which protected the actors and playwrights from harsh laws against vagabonds and "dissolute persons" (Open City: London, 1500-1700).
Though most of the plays performed in London in the late 1500s-1600s are lost, surviving ones provide us with information about the relationships between audience and players, social and political interests of the time, as well as interests of the court (Open City: London, 1500-1700). Much like media today, the theater became quite influential. These meeting places became a place to spread ideas and beliefs about current events. For example, Thomas Middleton's play, "A Game at Chess," inspired by the proposed marriage of Charles I and the Spanish Infanta, which fell through and caused its own problems, sparked anti-Spanish sentiments before the play was stopped. Beginning around 1640, however, a series of acts created by a government under the influence of extreme Puritan Oliver Cromwell began to shut theaters down on the grounds that they were immoral.
Market
Marketplaces, like theaters, were popular meeting places during the Renaissance and by nature, these spaces facilitated the spread and exchange of goods, ideas, and even disease. Prior to markets like Cheapside and The Royal Exchange, most trading was done in the street or at wharfs (Lynch). According to Open City: London, 1500-1700, with the rise of markets came the rise of opportunities such as apprenticing and soon, companies became a stabilizing force in society due to their interests in regulating trade and protecting their livelihoods. Just as the theater caused anxieties about sin and corruption, the market too, raised qualms regarding the morality of a wealthier populace. As commerce typically takes precedence over the arts, the market, unlike the theater, survived.
In fact, the Royal Exchange, which opened in 1565, was one of the most important landmarks in London and an attempt by the country to join international trade (Lynch). What began as a private venture founded by Thomas Gresham, became the "Royal" Exchange under Queen Elizabeth I's rule five years later (Open City: London, Interactive Map), which emphasizes the rapid growth of the market's influence.
