Savoy Palace

The Savoy Palace stood on the Strand in the City of Westminster, beside the Thames. Built for Peter, Count of Savoy, it became the London home of John of Gaunt in the 14th century. The palace was the grandest noble residence of its time, noted for its lavish tapestries and jewels. Geoffrey Chaucer began The Canterbury Tales while working there as a clerk. In 1381 rioters destroyed the palace during the Peasants’ Revolt, hurling its contents into the river. The site later gave its name to the Savoy Chapel, Savoy Theatre and Savoy Hotel. A hospital founded by Henry VII in 1512 occupied part of the grounds. The hospital was the first in England to employ permanent medical staff and followed strict rules for admitting the poor. Each evening the gates opened an hour before sunset, and the sick were allowed to stay while the healthy left after prayers and a night’s rest. Today the area still carries the Savoy name. The Tudor chapel remains, and nearby buildings reflect the site’s long history. The former hospital precinct once housed military barracks and tradesmen’s workshops. Wren designed chapels for French Protestants and German Lutherans on the estate. The Liberty of the Savoy kept a separate legal jurisdiction long after the palace vanished.