Shakespeare's Globe is a modern reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. The original was built in 1599 and destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII when a theatrical cannon misfired. The current building, opened in 1997, is located just 230 meters from the original site. It is the first building in London allowed to have a thatched roof since the Great Fire of 1666, though it features a hidden sprinkler system for safety. The theater is an 'O' shaped open-air amphitheater; the 'groundlings' stand in the yard in front of the stage, exposed to the elements, just as they would have 400 years ago. It was built using traditional techniques, including green oak timbers joined with wooden pegs rather than nails.