The Tabard, Medieval inn in Southwark, England
The Tabard was an inn on Borough High Street in Southwark where travelers heading to and from Canterbury found lodging. The building featured multiple guest chambers and stables to accommodate both visitors and their horses.
Founded in 1307 by the Abbot of Hyde, the inn served pilgrims for centuries as a key stopping point on their route. A fire in 1669 led to the building's reconstruction and a change in its name.
Chaucer chose this inn as the gathering place where pilgrims depart in the Canterbury Tales, with the innkeeper Harry Bailey becoming a literary character. The real building thus became intertwined with one of English literature's most famous works.
The inn was positioned on Borough High Street, a major route where travelers heading to Canterbury would naturally pass through. Its location made it a natural gathering point for pilgrims preparing for their journeys southward.
Southwark existed as an area beyond London's city walls where activities forbidden within the city, such as animal baiting and gambling, took place openly. This freedom made the neighborhood a distinctive destination where many kinds of visitors mingled.
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