It was built by the acting company (troupe) that William Shakespeare was a member of.
The theatre was a 3 floor, open air building which could seat around 3000 people. The stage was about 27ft X 43ft and was raised above the ground to allow trapdoor access.
Plays on the stage were shown regularly (10 plays in 2 weeks). These plays had special effects such as fireworks, real cannon fire and acrobatics, which attracted large audiences with local companies complaining of their workers being in the theatre instead of work.
On the 29th June 1613, the theatre was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt 1 year later. It was closed down once more on the 6th September 1642 by a Puritans order that supressed all stage plays. The theatre was demolished in 1644.
A new faithful to the orginal replica theatre was reconstructed in 1997 approximately 230m from the original site.
The current Gielgud Theatre, built in 1909, was named 'Globe Theatre' until it was renamed in 1994.