Tower of London

I have long been fascinated by the Tower of London but not until I recently read Edward Rutherford’s “London” did it become a ‘must see’. I took the tube to The Monument station which is near the Tower.  1666 was a tough year for London.  The plague killed 100,ooo Londoners between 1665 & 1666 and the fire that started Sept 2, 1666 destroyed the homes nearly 90% of the homes in the city, yet the death toll was single digits.  It is believed to have started in a bakery and the height of the Monument 61 meters (202ft) is the exact distance from where the fire started. It was designed by the great Christopher Wren who rebuilt 52 churches after the fire including St Paul’s.

Just my luck the Monument was closed for repairs when I arrived and it was suggested I return in an hour, so I kept on going to the Tower. If you go, make sure you take the tour lead by a Beefeater.  I think the name of our guide was Jason and he was great.  The moat that once circled the Tower has long been replaced by  grass and that’s where we started.  Begun by William the Conqueror in 1066, it is still under construction today.  Despite it’s reputation as a prison and execution site, it was originally the residence of the king.

The first section built was the White Tower.

Known as a place of torture and death, less than 10 people were actually killed there prior to WWII.  Most prisoners were killed at Tower Hill a short distance away.  Four monarchs or future ones were imprisoned there with Ann Boleyn being the most known to lose her head.  You can do deeper research yourselves of go there.

Besides the White Tower, there are residences for a doctor, priest, Beefeaters and there families and other staff. The Royal Chapel of St. Peter Ad Vincula (in chains) holds the remains of some of the most famous names in British history.  Unfortunately as it is still a place of worship no photos are allowed inside.

The Jewel House is the repository for the Crown Jewels.

And they are all they are cracked up to be.  I was not surprised that a Royal Scepter weighed as much as 23 kg (50 lb). The Bloody Tower is where many were held before execution.

The Royal Regiment of the Fusiliers Museum was a typical ordinance display until I entered the room with paintings of Fusiliers killed in the most recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars.  By the time I saw the painting of Lee Rigby, I needed a handkerchief to dry my face.  So tragic.

Tis cannon just outside has probably never been fired.

The ravens are still there.  They were there before the Tower and will be forever as the legend has it when the ravens leave the Tower, it will crumble to dust as will England.

One of the more interesting additions was Traitors Gate which allowed prisoners to come by boat directly into the Tower at high tide to prevent attempts to free them when marched through the city.