27/10/2022
King’s Chapel of the Savoy
This hidden gem is tucked away between the Strand and the Embankment. The Savoy Palace, built by John of Gaunt in the mid 14th century, used to occupy the site and its legendary name is remembered in the nearby Savoy Hotel and nearby streets such as Savoy Place and Savoy Court.
The Savoy Palace was destroyed in the Peasants Revolt of 1381 and lay as a ruin until Henry VII ordered the building of the Hospital of the Savoy on the same site. It was established as a charitable foundation to provide food and lodging to 100 poor and needy men, and was completed in 1515. It was an extensive complex of buildings which included a dormitory and several chapels. The King’s Chapel of the Savoy is all that survives of Henry VII’s Hospital of the Savoy.
The chapel is a Royal Peculiar, meaning it is outside the jurisdiction of the diocese and is answerable directly and solely to the sovereign, who appoints the Dean. Prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was known as the Queen’s Chapel, and upon the accession of King Charles III, is now known as the King’s Chapel. Other Royal Peculiars in London are Westminster Abbey and St Peter Ad Vincula at the Tower of London.
The King’s Chapel of the Savoy is the spiritual home of the Royal Victorian Order. Founded in 1896 it is an honour that is a personal gift of the sovereign to recognise the service of individuals to the sovereign and other members of the royal family. The monarch is the Sovereign of the Order, and the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, is the Great Master - their red velvet seats at the back of the chapel are adorned with stall plates displaying their armorial bearings.
The interior of the chapel was destroyed by a fire in 1864, and was faithfully restored by Sydney Smirke, who also designed the round reading room at the British Museum, now a temporary exhibition space in the Great Court. The ceiling of the chapel is a beautiful recreation of the Tudor original.
Contact me for a visit to this, and other hidden gems in London.