The Tabard Inn, Southwark, London (litho)

The Tabard was a historic inn that stood on the east side of Borough High Street in Southwark. The hostelry was established in 1307 and stood on the ancient thoroughfare that led south from London Bridge to Canterbury and Dover. It was built for the Abbot of Hyde who purchased the land to construct a place to stay for himself and his ecclesiastical brethren when on business in London. The Tabard was also famous for accommodating people who made the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and Geoffrey Chaucer mentions it in his 14th Century work The Canterbury Tales;