2-698-992 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Inner Court of the Old Belle Sauvage.', (1897). The Bell Savage Inn in the City of London was established in the 15th century. It was a playhouse during the Elizabethan period: the balconies served as the upper and lower circles, the rooms of the Inn became private 'boxes' and the courtyard was the 'pit'. It was also an important coaching inn until it was demolished in 1873 to make way for a railway viaduct. From Old and New London, Volume I, by Walter Thornbury. [Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris & Melbourne, 1897]