Everything about The Savoy Palace totally explained
The
Savoy Palace was considered the grandest nobleman's residence of medieval
London, until it was destroyed in the
Peasants' Revolt of
1381. It fronted
Strand, on the site of the present
Savoy Theatre and the
Savoy Hotel that memorialise its name. In its area
the rule of law was different from the rest of London.
Savoy Palace
In the
Middle Ages, though there were many other noble palaces within the city walls, the most desirable location for housing the nobility was
Strand, which emerged between the
City and the village of Charing, the site of
Charing Cross, (then in the county of
Middlesex) as early as the
12th century. There a nobleman could also have water frontage on the
Thames, the great ancient water highway, and be free of the stink and social tumult of the
City of London to the east, and its constant threat of fires.
Henry III had granted the land to the
queen's uncle,
Peter, Count of Savoy, in
1246. The mansion built there later became the home of
Prince Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster; his descendants, the
Dukes of Lancaster, lived there throughout the next century. In the
14th century, when Strand was paved as far as the Savoy, it was the vast riverside London residence of
John of Gaunt,
Richard II's uncle and the nation's power broker. The Savoy was the most magnificent nobleman's mansion in
England. It was famous for its owner's magnificent collection of tapestries, jewels and ornaments.
Destruction
During the
Peasants' Revolt headed by
Wat Tyler in
1381, the rioters, who blamed
John of Gaunt for the introduction of the
poll tax that had precipitated the revolt, systematically demolished the Savoy and everything in it. What couldn't be smashed or burned was thrown into the river. Jewellery was pulverised with hammers, and it was said that one rioter found by his fellows to have kept a silver goblet for himself was killed for doing so. Despite this, the name Savoy stuck to the site.
Savoy Hospital
It was here that
Henry VII founded the
Savoy Hospital for poor, needy people, leaving instructions for it in his will.
(External Link
) It was opened in 1512.
The grand structure was the most impressive hospital of its time in the country and the first to benefit from permanent medical staff. It closed in 1702 and in the 19th century the old hospital buildings were demolished.
Savoy Chapel
The only hospital building to survive the 19th century demolition was its hospital chapel, dedicated to
St John the Baptist. It once hosted a German
Lutheran congregation, and is now again in
Church of England use as the church for the
Duchy of Lancaster and
Royal Victorian Order.
Today
The Savoy is remembered in the names of the
Savoy Hotel and the
Savoy Theatre which stand on the site. Many of the nearby streets are also named for the Savoy: Savoy Buildings, Court, Hill, Place, Row, Street and Way. Savoy Place is the London headquarters of the
Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Savoy Palace'.
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