This is a public lecture by Christopher Highley of the Ohio State University on his book, 'Blackfriars in Early Modern London'  (Oxford UP, 2022). Highley specializes in Early Modern literature, culture, and history. Along with his many publications, honors, grants, and awards, he is the author of Shakespeare, Spenser, and the Crisis in Ireland (Cambridge UP, 1997), Catholics Writing the Nation in Early Modern Britain and Ireland (Oxford UP, 2008).  His well-received and most recent book is entitled Blackfriars in Early Modern London: Theater, Church, and Neighborhood.  He is currently continuing his work on early modern London during the English Reformation period, as well as on the posthumous image of Henry VIII.