Bell Savage Inn

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The Bell Savage Inn - Courtyard

The Bell Inn Savage was a guest house ( pub ) in London from the 15th century until its demolition in 1873. It was located in today's road Ludgate Hill (60 m in the eastern extension of Fleet Street ) just outside the western city of London . At the time of Elizabeth I and the theater of the same name , the Ausspanngasthof was also a theater venue (see Inn-Yard Theater ). In the records, the house is also mentioned as Savage's Inn, The Bel Savage, Belle Sa (u) vague, Bell on the Hoop, Old Bell Savage, Belly Savage and other names as well.

history

15th century

The written records allow us to trace the history of the house back to 1420 . A document, issued in 1453, during the reign of Henry VI. , testifies to the name of the building as " Savage's Inn " or " The Bell on the Hoop " and was located in the parish of St. Bridget (Bride) on Fleet Street. “Savage” could be the name of the operator, possibly also the name of the first owner; a William Savage was residents of Fleet Street in 1380, which also would allow the conclusion that the inn already existed in the 14th century.

The alternative name "Bell on the Hoop" (German for example: "Glocke im Kranz" or "Reif") could be explained by a symbolism that was common in inns at the time: The hoop (s) refers to a garland of ivy. The later name "Bell Savage" could simply come from a contraction of the inn name and owner, also "Savage's Bell". In the past, an origin from the French Belle Sauvage (Wild Beauty) was also assumed. However, in 1855, the etymologist Hensleigh Wedgwood (1803-1891) contradicted this in his essay On False Etymologies .

16th Century

For the year 1554 it is recorded that Thomas Wyatt , leader of the revolt of the same name against Maria I and her Spanish husband, "came to Bell Savage, an Inn nigh unto Lud gate " (came to the Bell Savage, an inn below Ludgate ), however, the city gate was locked to prevent the rebels from entering the city . So Wyatt "rested for a while in a cabin across from Bell Savage Gate." Shortly afterwards he surrendered at the gate of Temple Bar .

In 1568 the inn was bequeathed to a trade guild of the Livery Company , the Worshipful Company of Cutlers , for the purpose of their Masses in Oxford and Cambridge and for the benefit of the poor in the parish of St. Brides. At that time the property had two courtyards. The outer courtyard was accessed through an archway coming from the north from Ludgate Hill; The inner courtyard was accessed through another passage just opposite the first archway. The guest house had balcony galleries on two floors, through which the guest rooms could be entered.

Passage to the courtyard of the Bell Savage from Ludgate Hill, 1782

The Bell Savage was one of four inns in London that were used as a pub theater at the end of the 16th century ( Inn-Yard Theater ), the Bell Savage from 1575. The surrounding balconies served as spectator galleries, the rooms became private boxes and the inner courtyard itself was the (without seats) theater floor (in English the pit ). The stage was probably placed in a corner of the courtyard and covered with a curtain. The extremely popular comedian Richard Tarlton also performed here. The inner courtyard was also used for fencing competitions in the second half of the 16th century . Since these took place on a raised platform, it seems possible that theatrical performances were already taking place from then on. William Bankes and his trained horse Marocco showed their tricks here. Animal fights with bears were also seen here at the end of the century .

17th century

In 1616 the Indian ambassador Pocahontas traveled from Virginia to London and stayed with her companions at the Bell Savage. After its use as an event location, the inner courtyard had meanwhile degenerated into a "hoard of thieves and fraudsters [...] loud, dangerous and smelly". In the great city fire of 1666, the Inn also burned to the ground. It was rebuilt a few years later, but before 1676. The front yard was built with houses. Grinling Gibbons lived here for a while before 1677, as did the German doctor Richard Rock , who became famous for his series of paintings A Harlot's Progress . In 1684 the inn advertised a “rhinoceros recently brought from Ostinids ”, which could be admired for a small entrance fee - it was also the first rhinoceros to be exhibited in Great Britain. Among the visitors were noble officials, such as the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal .

A carriage leaves the courtyard of the "Belle Sauvage" (engraving after James Pollard )

The Bell Savage was an important relaxation inn , at the latest during the reign of Charles II , but probably earlier. A newspaper advertisement from 1674 attests to 40 rooms and stables for 100 horses.

18th and 19th centuries

With the expansion of the high-speed railway connections, the Kutschgasthof lost its importance and from the middle of the 19th century, parts of the building began to look dilapidated. During the first world exhibition , The Great Exhibition of 1851, however, a John Thorburn leased the building or even parts of it, carried out a renovation and rented the premises to paying overnight guests. In 1852, John Cassell's publishing and printing company moved to another part of the house. However, the hotel operations were severely affected by the printing presses , so that the following year catering was given up and the premises were sold to Cassell.

The property was gradually rebuilt, expanded and expanded under Cassell; In 1873, however, the property had to give way to a railway viaduct . Today there is no visible trace of the Bell Savage. However, until 1914, the nearby Cassell & Company publishing house was nicknamed La Belle Sauvage.

Reception in art

The Bell Savage in Literature

The Bell Savage in the Performing Arts

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Herbert Berry. The Bell Savage inn and playhouse in London (Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England - January 1, 2006).
  2. ↑ a b Cassell, 1922, p. 19.
  3. ↑ Shelley, 1909, p. 75.
  4. ^ Hensleigh Wedgwood: On False Etymologies in "Transactions of the Philological Society", 1855, Issue 6, p. 64 ( online )
  5. ^ Cassell, 1922, 19-22
  6. ↑ a b Cassell, 1922, p. 22.
  7. ^ Grace Steele Woodward. Pocahontas (University of Oklahoma Press, 1969) pp 174-5.
  8. ^ Dennis Montgomery. 1607: Jamestown and the New World (Colonial Williamsburg, 2007) p. 140.
  9. ^ Shelley, 1909, p. 76.
  10. ^ The first Rhino in Britain (Rhino Resource Center)
  11. ↑ a b Cassell, 1922, p. 23
  12. ^ BW Matz. The inns & taverns of "Pickwick" (London, C. Palmer, 1921) pages 61 ff.
  13. ^ Cassell, 1922, p. 20.
  14. ^ Court of Equity, Belle Sauvage Inn, 1778 (picture)
  15. ↑ Belle Sauvage Yard, c. 1850 (picture)
  16. ^ Matz, 1921, opp. P. 64.
  17. ↑ The Belle Sauvage Inn yard (picture in the British Museum )
  18. ↑ La belle Sauvage Inn (picture)

Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 51 ″  N , 0 ° 6 ′ 13 ″  W.