2-699-243 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Savoy in 1650', (1881). The Savoy Palace was built on the banks of the River Thames in the 13th century. In the 14th century it was the London home of John of Gaunt, and was said to be the grandest mansion in England. In 1381 it was destroyed during the Peasants' Revolt, as the rebels held John of Gaunt responsible for the introduction of the poll tax that precipitated the revolt. Henry VII founded a hospital for the poor on the site, which opened in 1512. The buildings were demolished in the 19th century. From Old and New London: A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Westminster and the Western Suburbs, by Edward Walford, Vol. III. [Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., London, Paris & New York, 1881]