The Infamous Tower of London

The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London.

We arrived early, about 8:30 am, and after a trip to the paid toilet and getting our tickets there was already a queue formed going up Tower Hill a bit to get in. The tower opened at 9 am. We saw the crown jewels early since a queue hadn't yet formed and the fusilier's museum. The Crown Jewels were obviously more interesting. We also saw the mint where Sir Isaac Newton was once in charge and lived above. At 10 am, the first tour by a Tower Guard (Beef Eater) started. He was hilarious. It started on the parade grounds between the outer and inner walls with Tiwer Hill looming over us. He talked of executions and the outer defenses. He explained that where we were standing was once the moat and was filthy with sewage. Eventually, a better sewage system came to Lindon and the need for a moat went away as well so it was drained and made a parade ground for the Tower Guard. When he directed us to follow him to the next stop he said, We should 'BE-HEADING' this way. It got a good laugh. We stayed for a few stops but my back was beginning to get to me from all the walking and luggage carrying from the days prior. We left the tour after the Bloody tower stop and went outside to sit and got a good view of the Tower Bridge which we would cross later.

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II in the 17th century, the monarch would traditionally prepare for several nights at the Tower, and lead a procession from there to Westminster Abbey for their coronation. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower was in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century, the Princes in the Tower were housed at the castle when they mysteriously disappeared, presumed murdered. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle, its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery.

The zenith of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the world wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the 19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures.

In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public. Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, operated by the Resident Governor of the Tower of London and Keeper of the Jewel House, and guarded by the Yeomen Warders, the property is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.Read more