Tower of london the word

Tower of London
Location	London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Coordinates	51°30′29″N 00°04′34″W / 51.50806°N 0.07611°WCoordinates: 51°30′29″N 00°04′34″W / 51.50806°N 0.07611°W
Area	Castle: 12 acres (4.9 ha) Tower Liberties: 6 acres (2.4 ha)
Height	27 metres (89 ft)
Built	White Tower: 1078 Inner Ward: 1190s Rebuilt: 1285 Wharf expansion: 1377–1399
Visitors	2,984,499 (in 2019)[1]
Owner	King Charles III in right of the Crown[2]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Designated	1988 (12th session)
Reference no.	488
Country	England
Europe and North America
Listed Building – Grade I
Listed Building – Grade II
Location of the castle in central London

The Tower of London, officially His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded toward the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins),^[3] although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

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, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is 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, and operated by the Resident Governor of the Tower of London and Keeper of the Jewel House, the property is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.

Architecture[edit]

Layout[edit]

The Tower was oriented with its strongest and most impressive defences overlooking Saxon London, which archaeologist Alan Vince suggests was deliberate.^[4] It would have visually dominated the surrounding area and stood out to traffic on the River Thames.^[5] The castle is made up of three «wards», or enclosures. The innermost ward contains the White Tower and is the earliest phase of the castle. Encircling it to the north, east, and west is the inner ward, built during the reign of Richard I (1189–1199). Finally, there is the outer ward which encompasses the castle and was built under Edward I. Although there were several phases of expansion after William the Conqueror founded the Tower of London, the general layout has remained the same since Edward I completed his rebuild in 1285.

The castle encloses an area of almost 12 acres (4.9 hectares) with a further 6 acres (2.4 ha) around the Tower of London constituting the Tower Liberties – land under the direct influence of the castle and cleared for military reasons.^[6] The precursor of the Liberties was laid out in the 13th century when Henry III ordered that a strip of land adjacent to the castle be kept clear.^[7] Despite popular fiction, the Tower of London never had a permanent torture chamber, although the basement of the White Tower housed a rack in later periods.^[8] Tower Wharf was built on the bank of the Thames under Edward I and was expanded to its current size during the reign of Richard II (1377–1399).^[9]

White Tower[edit]

The White Tower is a keep (also known as a donjon), which was often the strongest structure in a medieval castle, and contained lodgings suitable for the lord – in this case, the king or his representative.^[10] According to military historian Allen Brown, «The great tower [White Tower] was also, by virtue of its strength, majesty and lordly accommodation, the donjon par excellence«.^[11] As one of the largest keeps in the Christian world,^[12] the White Tower has been described as «the most complete eleventh-century palace in Europe».^[13]

The White Tower, not including its projecting corner towers, measures 36 by 32 metres (118 by 105 ft) at the base, and is 27 m (90 ft) high at the southern battlements. The structure was originally three storeys high, comprising a basement floor, an entrance level, and an upper floor. The entrance, as is usual in Norman keeps, was above ground, in this case on the south face, and accessed via a wooden staircase which could be removed in the event of an attack. It was probably during Henry II’s reign (1154–1189) that a forebuilding was added to the south side of the tower to provide extra defences to the entrance, but it has not survived. Each floor was divided into three chambers, the largest in the west, a smaller room in the north-east, and the chapel taking up the entrance and upper floors of the south-east.^[14] At the western corners of the building are square towers, while to the north-east a round tower houses a spiral staircase. At the south-east corner there is a larger semi-circular projection which accommodates the apse of the chapel. As the building was intended to be a comfortable residence as well as a stronghold, latrines were built into the walls, and four fireplaces provided warmth.^[13]

The main building material is Kentish rag-stone, although some local mudstone was also used. Caen stone was imported from northern France to provide details in the Tower’s facing, although little of the original material survives as it was replaced with Portland stone in the 17th and 18th centuries.^[15] Reigate stone was also used as ashlar and for carved details. Its location, in the lower courses of the building and at higher levels corresponding to a building break, suggest it was readily available and may have been used when access to Caen stone was restricted.^[16] As most of the Tower’s windows were enlarged in the 18th century, only two original – albeit restored – examples remain, in the south wall at the gallery level.^[15]

The tower was terraced into the side of a mound, so the northern side of the basement is partially below ground level.^[17] As was typical of most keeps,^[18] the bottom floor was an undercroft used for storage. One of the rooms contained a well. Although the layout has remained the same since the tower’s construction, the interior of the basement dates mostly from the 18th century when the floor was lowered and the pre-existing timber vaults were replaced with brick counterparts.^[17] The basement is lit through small slits.^[13]

The entrance floor was probably intended for the use of the Constable of the Tower, Lieutenant of the Tower of London and other important officials. The south entrance was blocked during the 17th century, and not reopened until 1973. Those heading to the upper floor had to pass through a smaller chamber to the east, also connected to the entrance floor. The crypt of St John’s Chapel occupied the south-east corner and was accessible only from the eastern chamber. There is a recess in the north wall of the crypt; according to Geoffrey Parnell, Keeper of the Tower History at the Royal Armouries, «the windowless form and restricted access, suggest that it was designed as a strong-room for safekeeping of royal treasures and important documents».^[17]

The upper floor contained a grand hall in the west and residential chamber in the east – both originally open to the roof and surrounded by a gallery built into the wall – and St John’s Chapel in the south-east. The top floor was added in the 15th century, along with the present roof.^[14][19] St John’s Chapel was not part of the White Tower’s original design, as the apsidal projection was built after the basement walls.^[17] Due to changes in function and design since the tower’s construction, except for the chapel little is left of the original interior.^[20] The chapel’s current bare and unadorned appearance is reminiscent of how it would have been in the Norman period. In the 13th century, during Henry III’s reign, the chapel was decorated with such ornamentation as a gold-painted cross, and stained glass windows that depicted the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity.^[21]

Innermost ward[edit]

The innermost ward encloses an area immediately south of the White Tower, stretching to what was once the edge of the River Thames. As was the case at other castles, such as the 11th-century Hen Domen, the innermost ward was probably filled with timber buildings from the Tower’s foundation. Exactly when the royal lodgings began to encroach from the White Tower into the innermost ward is uncertain, although it had happened by the 1170s.^[15] The lodgings were renovated and elaborated during the 1220s and 1230s, becoming comparable with other palatial residences such as Windsor Castle.^[22] Construction of Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers – located at the corners of the innermost ward’s wall along the river – began around 1220.^{[23][nb 1]} They probably served as private residences for the queen and king respectively.

The earliest evidence for how the royal chambers were decorated comes from Henry III’s reign: the queen’s chamber was whitewashed, and painted with flowers and imitation stonework. A great hall existed in the south of the ward, between the two towers.^[24] It was similar to, although slightly smaller than, that also built by Henry III at Winchester Castle.^[25] Near Wakefield Tower was a postern gate which allowed private access to the king’s apartments. The innermost ward was originally surrounded by a protective ditch, which had been filled in by the 1220s. Around this time, a kitchen was built in the ward.^[26] Between 1666 and 1676, the innermost ward was transformed and the palace buildings removed.^[27] The area around the White Tower was cleared so that anyone approaching would have to cross open ground. The Jewel House was demolished, and the Crown Jewels moved to Martin Tower.^[28]

Inner ward[edit]

The inner ward was created during Richard the Lionheart’s reign, when a moat was dug to the west of the innermost ward, effectively doubling the castle’s size.^[29][30] Henry III created the ward’s east and north walls, and the ward’s dimensions remain to this day.^[7] Most of Henry’s work survives, and only two of the nine towers he constructed have been completely rebuilt.^[31] Between the Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers, the innermost ward’s wall also serves as a curtain wall for the inner ward.^[32] The main entrance to the inner ward would have been through a gatehouse, most likely in the west wall on the site of what is now Beauchamp Tower. The inner ward’s western curtain wall was rebuilt by Edward I.^[33] The 13th-century Beauchamp Tower marks the first large-scale use of brick as a building material in Britain, since the 5th-century departure of the Romans.^[34] The Beauchamp Tower is one of 13 towers that stud the curtain wall. Clockwise from the south-west corner they are: Bell, Beauchamp, Devereux, Flint, Bowyer, Brick, Martin, Constable, Broad Arrow, Salt, Lanthorn, Wakefield, and the Bloody Tower.^[32] While these towers provided positions from which flanking fire could be deployed against a potential enemy, they also contained accommodation. As its name suggests, Bell Tower housed a belfry, its purpose to raise the alarm in the event of an attack. The royal bow-maker, responsible for making longbows, crossbows, catapults, and other siege and hand weapons, had a workshop in the Bowyer Tower. A turret at the top of Lanthorn Tower was used as a beacon by traffic approaching the Tower at night.^[35]

As a result of Henry’s expansion, St Peter ad Vincula, a Norman chapel which had previously stood outside the Tower, was incorporated into the castle. Henry decorated the chapel by adding glazed windows, and stalls for himself and his queen.^[31] It was rebuilt by Edward I at a cost of over £300^[36] and again by Henry VIII in 1519; the current building dates from this period, although the chapel was refurbished in the 19th century.^[37] Immediately west of Wakefield Tower, the Bloody Tower was built at the same time as the inner ward’s curtain wall, and as a water-gate provided access to the castle from the River Thames. It was a simple structure, protected by a portcullis and gate.^[38] The Bloody Tower acquired its name in the 16th century, as it was believed to be the site of the murder of the Princes in the Tower.^[39] Between 1339 and 1341, a gatehouse was built into the curtain wall between Bell and Salt Towers.^[40] During the Tudor period, a range of buildings for the storage of munitions was built along the inside of the north inner ward.^[41] The castle buildings were remodelled during the Stuart period, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. In 1663, just over £4,000 was spent building a new storehouse (now known as the New Armouries) in the inner ward.^[42] Construction of the Grand Storehouse north of the White Tower began in 1688, on the same site as the dilapidated Tudor range of storehouses;^[43] it was destroyed by fire in 1841. The Waterloo Block, a former barracks in the castellated Gothic Revival style with Domestic Tudor details,^[44] was built on the site and remains to this day, housing the Crown Jewels on the ground floor.^[45]

Outer ward[edit]

A third ward was created during Edward I’s extension to the Tower, as the narrow enclosure completely surrounded the castle. At the same time a bastion known as Legge’s Mount was built at the castle’s northwest corner. Brass Mount, the bastion in the northeast corner, was a later addition. The three rectangular towers along the east wall 15 metres (49 ft) apart were dismantled in 1843. Although the bastions have often been ascribed to the Tudor period, there is no evidence to support this; archaeological investigations suggest that Legge’s Mount dates from the reign of Edward I.^[46] Blocked battlements (also known as crenellations) in the south side of Legge’s Mount are the only surviving medieval battlements at the Tower of London (the rest are Victorian replacements).^[47] A new 50-metre (160 ft) moat was dug beyond the castle’s new limits;^[48] it was originally 4.5 metres (15 ft) deeper in the middle than it is today.^[46] With the addition of a new curtain wall, the old main entrance to the Tower of London was obscured and made redundant; a new entrance was created in the southwest corner of the external wall circuit. The complex consisted of an inner and an outer gatehouse and a barbican,^[49] which became known as the Lion Tower as it was associated with the animals as part of the Royal Menagerie since at least the 1330s.^[50] The Lion Tower itself no longer survives.^[49]

Edward extended the south side of the Tower of London onto land that had previously been submerged by the River Thames. In this wall, he built St Thomas’s Tower between 1275 and 1279; later known as Traitors’ Gate, it replaced the Bloody Tower as the castle’s water-gate. The building is unique in England, and the closest parallel is the now demolished water-gate at the Louvre in Paris. The dock was covered with arrowslits in case of an attack on the castle from the River; there was also a portcullis at the entrance to control who entered. There were luxurious lodgings on the first floor.^[51] Edward also moved the Royal Mint into the Tower; its exact location early on is unknown, although it was probably in either the outer ward or the Lion Tower.^[52] By 1560, the Mint was located in a building in the outer ward near Salt Tower.^[53] Between 1348 and 1355, a second water-gate, Cradle Tower, was added east of St Thomas’s Tower for the king’s private use.^[40]

History[edit]

Foundation and early history[edit]

Victorious at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the invading Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, spent the rest of the year securing his holdings by fortifying key positions. He founded several castles along the way, but took a circuitous route toward London;^[54][55] only when he reached Canterbury did he turn towards England’s largest city. As the fortified bridge into London was held by Saxon troops, he decided instead to ravage Southwark before continuing his journey around southern England.^[56] A series of Norman victories along the route cut the city’s supply lines and in December 1066, isolated and intimidated, its leaders yielded London without a fight.^[57][58] Between 1066 and 1087, William established 36 castles,^[55] although references in the Domesday Book indicate that many more were founded by his subordinates.^[59] The Normans undertook what has been described as «the most extensive and concentrated programme of castle-building in the whole history of feudal Europe».^[60] They were multi-purpose buildings, serving as fortifications (used as a base of operations in enemy territory), centres of administration, and residences.^[61]

William sent an advance party to prepare the city for his entrance, to celebrate his victory and found a castle; in the words of William’s biographer, William of Poitiers, «certain fortifications were completed in the city against the restlessness of the huge and brutal populace. For he [William] realised that it was of the first importance to overawe the Londoners».^[54] At the time, London was the largest town in England; the foundation of Westminster Abbey and the old Palace of Westminster under Edward the Confessor had marked it as a centre of governance, and with a prosperous port it was important for the Normans to establish control over the settlement.^[58] The other two castles in London – Baynard’s Castle and Montfichet’s Castle – were established at the same time.^[62] The fortification that would later become known as the Tower of London was built onto the south-east corner of the Roman town walls, using them as prefabricated defences, with the River Thames providing additional protection from the south.^[54] This earliest phase of the castle would have been enclosed by a ditch and defended by a timber palisade, and probably had accommodation suitable for William.^[63]

Most of the early Norman castles were built from timber, but by the end of the 11th century a few, including the Tower of London, had been renovated or replaced with stone.^[62] Work on the White Tower – which gives the whole castle its name –^[12] is usually considered to have begun in 1078, however the exact date is uncertain. William made Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, responsible for its construction, although it may not have been completed until after William’s death in 1087.^[12] The White Tower is the earliest stone keep in England, and was the strongest point of the early castle. It also contained grand accommodation for the king.^[64] At the latest, it was probably finished by 1100 when Bishop Ranulf Flambard was imprisoned there.^{[20][nb 2]} Flambard was loathed by the English for exacting harsh taxes. Although he is the first recorded prisoner held in the Tower, he was also the first person to escape from it, using a smuggled rope secreted in a butt of wine. He was held in luxury and permitted servants, but on 2 February 1101 he hosted a banquet for his captors. After plying them with drink, when no one was looking he lowered himself from a secluded chamber, and out of the Tower. The escape came as such a surprise that one contemporary chronicler accused the bishop of witchcraft.^[66]

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 1097 King William II ordered a wall to be built around the Tower of London; it was probably built from stone and likely replaced the timber palisade that arced around the north and west sides of the castle, between the Roman wall (to the east) and the Thames (to the south).^[67] The Norman Conquest of London manifested itself not only with a new ruling class, but in the way the city was structured. Land was confiscated and redistributed amongst the Normans, who also brought over hundreds of Jews, for financial reasons.^[68] The Jews arrived under the direct protection of the Crown, as a result of which Jewish communities were often found close to castles.^[69] The Jews used the Tower as a retreat, when threatened by anti-Jewish violence.^[68]

The death in 1135 of Henry I left England with a disputed succession; although the king had persuaded his most powerful barons to swear support for the Empress Matilda, just a few days after Henry’s death Stephen of Blois arrived from France to lay claim to the throne. The importance of the city and its Tower is marked by the speed at which he secured London. The castle, which had not been used as a royal residence for some time, was usually left in the charge of a Constable, a post held at this time by Geoffrey de Mandeville. As the Tower was considered an impregnable fortress in a strategically important position, possession was highly valued. Mandeville exploited this, selling his allegiance to Matilda after Stephen was captured in 1141 at the Battle of Lincoln. Once her support waned, the following year he resold his loyalty to Stephen. Through his role as Constable of the Tower, Mandeville became «the richest and most powerful man in England».^[70] When he tried the same ploy again, this time holding secret talks with Matilda, Stephen had him arrested, forced him to cede control of his castles, and replaced him with one of his most loyal supporters. Until then the position had been hereditary, originally held by Geoffrey de Mandeville, but the position’s authority was such that from then on it remained in the hands of an appointee of the monarch. The position was usually given to someone of great importance, who might not always be at the castle due to other duties. Although the Constable was still responsible for maintaining the castle and its garrison, from an early stage he had a subordinate to help with this duty: the Lieutenant of the Tower.^[70] Constables also had civic duties relating to the city. Usually they were given control of the city and were responsible for levying taxes, enforcing the law and maintaining order. The creation in 1191 of the position of Lord Mayor of London removed many of the Constable’s civic powers, and at times led to friction between the two.^[71]

Expansion[edit]

The castle probably retained its form as established by 1100 until the reign of Richard I (1189–1199).^[72] The castle was extended under William Longchamp, King Richard’s Lord Chancellor and the man in charge of England while he was on crusade. The Pipe Rolls record £2,881 1s 10d spent at the Tower of London between 3 December 1189 and 11 November 1190,^[73] from an estimated £7,000 spent by Richard on castle building in England.^[74] According to the contemporary chronicler Roger of Howden, Longchamp dug a moat around the castle and tried in vain to fill it from the Thames.^[29] Longchamp was also Constable of the Tower, and undertook its expansion while preparing for war with King Richard’s younger brother, Prince John, who in Richard’s absence arrived in England to try to seize power. As Longchamp’s main fortress, he made the Tower as strong as possible. The new fortifications were first tested in October 1191, when the Tower was besieged for the first time in its history. Longchamp capitulated to John after just three days, deciding he had more to gain from surrender than prolonging the siege.^[75]

John succeeded Richard as king in 1199, but his rule proved unpopular with many of his barons, who in response moved against him. In 1214, while the king was at Windsor Castle, Robert Fitzwalter led an army into London and laid siege to the Tower. Although under-garrisoned, the Tower resisted and the siege was lifted once John signed the Magna Carta.^[76] The king reneged on his promises of reform, leading to the outbreak of the First Barons’ War. Even after the Magna Carta was signed, Fitzwalter maintained his control of London. During the war, the Tower’s garrison joined forces with the barons. John was deposed in 1216 and the barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis, the eldest son of the French king. However, after John’s death in October 1216, many began to support the claim of his eldest son, Henry III. War continued between the factions supporting Louis and Henry, with Fitzwalter supporting Louis. Fitzwalter was still in control of London and the Tower, both of which held out until it was clear that Henry III’s supporters would prevail.^[76]

In the 13th century, Kings Henry III (1216–1272) and Edward I (1272–1307) extended the castle, essentially creating it as it stands today.^[23] Henry was disconnected from his barons, and a mutual lack of understanding led to unrest and resentment towards his rule. As a result, he was eager to ensure the Tower of London was a formidable fortification; at the same time Henry was an aesthete and wished to make the castle a comfortable place to live.^[77] From 1216 to 1227 nearly £10,000 was spent on the Tower of London; in this period, only the work at Windsor Castle cost more (£15,000). Most of the work was focused on the palatial buildings of the innermost ward.^[22] The tradition of whitewashing the White Tower (from which it derives its name) began in 1240.^[78]

Beginning around 1238, the castle was expanded to the east, north, and north-west. The work lasted through the reign of Henry III and into that of Edward I, interrupted occasionally by civil unrest. New creations included a new defensive perimeter, studded with towers, while on the west, north, and east sides, where the wall was not defended by the river, a defensive ditch was dug. The eastern extension took the castle beyond the bounds of the old Roman settlement, marked by the city wall which had been incorporated into the castle’s defences.^[78] The Tower had long been a symbol of oppression, despised by Londoners, and Henry’s building programme was unpopular. So when the gatehouse collapsed in 1240, the locals celebrated the setback.^[79] The expansion caused disruption locally and £166 was paid to St Katherine’s Hospital and the prior of Holy Trinity in compensation.^[80]

Henry III often held court at the Tower of London, and held parliament there on at least two occasions (1236 and 1261) when he felt that the barons were becoming dangerously unruly. In 1258, the discontented barons, led by Simon de Montfort, forced the King to agree to reforms including the holding of regular parliaments. Relinquishing the Tower of London was among the conditions. Henry III resented losing power and sought permission from the pope to break his oath. With the backing of mercenaries, Henry installed himself in the Tower in 1261. While negotiations continued with the barons, the King ensconced himself in the castle, although no army moved to take it. A truce was agreed with the condition that the King hand over control of the Tower once again. Henry won a significant victory at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, allowing him to regain control of the country and the Tower of London. Cardinal Ottobuon came to England to excommunicate those who were still rebellious; the act was deeply unpopular and the situation was exacerbated when the cardinal was granted custody of the Tower. Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, marched on London in April 1267 and laid siege to the castle, declaring that custody of the Tower was «not a post to be trusted in the hands of a foreigner, much less of an ecclesiastic».^[81] Despite a large army and siege engines, Gilbert de Clare was unable to take the castle. The Earl retreated, allowing the King control of the capital, and the Tower experienced peace for the rest of Henry’s reign.^[82]

Although he was rarely in London, Edward I undertook an expensive remodelling of the Tower, costing £21,000 between 1275 and 1285, over double that spent on the castle during the whole of Henry III’s reign.^[83] Edward I was a seasoned castle builder, and used his experience of siege warfare during the crusades to bring innovations to castle building.^[83] His programme of castle building in Wales heralded the introduction of the widespread use of arrowslits in castle walls across Europe, drawing on Eastern influences.^[84] At the Tower of London, Edward filled in the moat dug by Henry III and built a new curtain wall along its line, creating a new enclosure. A new moat was created in front of the new curtain wall. The western part of Henry III’s curtain wall was rebuilt, with Beauchamp Tower replacing the castle’s old gatehouse. A new entrance was created, with elaborate defences including two gatehouses and a barbican.^[85] In an effort to make the castle self-sufficient, Edward I also added two watermills.^[86] Six hundred Jews were imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1278, charged with coin clipping.^[68] Persecution of the country’s Jewish population under Edward began in 1276 and culminated in 1290 when he issued the Edict of Expulsion, forcing the Jews out of the country.^[87] In 1279, the country’s numerous mints were unified under a single system whereby control was centralised to the mint within the Tower of London, while mints outside of London were reduced, with only a few local and episcopal mints continuing to operate.^[88]

Later Medieval Period[edit]

During Edward II’s reign (1307–1327) there was relatively little activity at the Tower of London.^[90] However, it was during this period that the Privy Wardrobe was founded. The institution was based at the Tower and responsible for organising the state’s arms.^[91] In 1321, Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London after she refused Queen Isabella admittance to Leeds Castle^[92] and ordered her archers to target Isabella, killing six of the royal escort.^[93][94][95] Generally reserved for high-ranking inmates, the Tower was the most important royal prison in the country.^[96] However it was not necessarily very secure, and throughout its history people bribed the guards to help them escape. In 1323, Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer, was aided in his escape from the Tower by the Sub-Lieutenant of the Tower who let Mortimer’s men inside. They hacked a hole in his cell wall and Mortimer escaped to a waiting boat. He fled to France where he encountered Edward’s Queen. They began an affair and plotted to overthrow the King.

One of Mortimer’s first acts on entering England in 1326 was to capture the Tower and release the prisoners held there. For four years he ruled while Edward III was too young to do so himself; in 1330, Edward and his supporters captured Mortimer and threw him into the Tower.^[97] Under Edward III’s rule (1312–1377) England experienced renewed success in warfare after his father’s reign had put the realm on the backfoot against the Scots and French. Amongst Edward’s successes were the battles of Crécy and Poitiers where King John II of France was taken prisoner, and the capture of the King David II of Scotland at Neville’s Cross. During this period, the Tower of London held many noble prisoners of war.^[98] Edward II had allowed the Tower of London to fall into a state of disrepair,^[40] and by the reign of Edward III the castle was an uncomfortable place. The nobility held captive within its walls were unable to engage in activities such as hunting which were permissible at other royal castles used as prisons, for instance Windsor. Edward III ordered that the castle should be renovated.^[99]

When Richard II was crowned in 1377, he led a procession from the Tower to Westminster Abbey. This tradition began in at least the early 14th century and lasted until 1660.^[98] During the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 the Tower of London was besieged with the King inside. When Richard rode out to meet with Wat Tyler, the rebel leader, a crowd broke into the castle without meeting resistance and looted the Jewel House. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury, took refuge in St John’s Chapel, hoping the mob would respect the sanctuary. However, he was taken away and beheaded on Tower Hill.^[101] Six years later there was again civil unrest, and Richard spent Christmas in the security of the Tower rather than Windsor as was more usual.^[102] When Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile in 1399, Richard was imprisoned in the White Tower. He abdicated and was replaced on the throne by Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV.^[101] In the 15th century, there was little building work at the Tower of London, yet the castle still remained important as a place of refuge. When supporters of the late Richard II attempted a coup, Henry IV found safety in the Tower of London. During this period, the castle also held many distinguished prisoners. The heir to the Scottish throne, later King James I of Scotland, was kidnapped while journeying to France in 1406 and held in the Tower. The reign of Henry V (1413–1422) renewed England’s fortune in the Hundred Years’ War against France. As a result of Henry’s victories, such as the Battle of Agincourt, many high-status prisoners were held in the Tower of London until they were ransomed.^[103]

Much of the latter half of the 15th century was occupied by the Wars of the Roses between the claimants to the throne, the houses of Lancaster and York.^[104] The castle was once again besieged in 1460, this time by a Yorkist force. The Tower was damaged by artillery fire but only surrendered when Henry VI was captured at the Battle of Northampton. With the help of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (nicknamed «the Kingmaker») Henry recaptured the throne for a short time in 1470. However, Edward IV soon regained control and Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was probably murdered.^[101] In 1471, during the Siege of London, the Tower’s Yorkist garrison exchanged fire with Lancastrians holding Southwark, and sallied from the fortress to take part in a pincer movement to attack Lancastrians who were assaulting Aldgate on London’s defensive wall. During the wars, the Tower was fortified to withstand gunfire, and provided with loopholes for cannons and handguns: an enclosure called the Bulwark was created for this purpose to the south of Tower Hill, although it no longer survives.^[104]

Shortly after the death of Edward IV in 1483, the notorious murder of the Princes in the Tower is traditionally believed to have taken place. The incident is one of the most infamous events associated with the Tower of London.^[105] Edward V’s uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was declared Lord Protector while the prince was too young to rule.^[106] Traditional accounts have held that the 12-year-old Edward was confined to the Tower of London along with his younger brother Richard. The Duke of Gloucester was proclaimed King Richard III in June. The princes were last seen in public in June 1483;^[105] it has traditionally been thought that the most likely reason for their disappearance is that they were murdered late in the summer of 1483.^[106] Bones thought to belong to them were discovered in 1674 when the 12th-century forebuilding at the entrance to the White Tower was demolished; however, the reputed level at which the bones were found (10 ft or 3 m) would put the bones at a depth similar to that of the Roman graveyard found, in 2011, 12 ft (4 m) underneath the Minories a few hundred yards to the north.^[107] Opposition to Richard escalated until he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who ascended to the throne as Henry VII.^[105] As king, Henry VII built a tower for a library next to the King’s Tower.^[108]

Changing use[edit]

The beginning of the Tudor period marked the start of the decline of the Tower of London’s use as a royal residence. As 16th-century chronicler Raphael Holinshed said the Tower became used more as «an armouries and house of munition, and thereunto a place for the safekeeping of offenders than a palace roiall for a king or queen to sojourne in».^[100] Henry VII visited the Tower on fourteen occasions between 1485 and 1500, usually staying for less than a week at a time.^[109] The Yeoman Warders have been the Royal Bodyguard since at least 1509.^[110] In 1517 the Tower fired its cannon at City crowds engaged in the xenophobic Evil May Day riots, in which the properties of foreign residents were ransacked. It is not thought that any rioters were hurt by the gunfire, which was probably meant to merely intimidate the mob.^[111]

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Tower was assessed as needing considerable work on its defences. In 1532, Thomas Cromwell spent £3,593 on repairs and imported nearly 3,000 tons of Caen stone for the work.^[37] Even so, this was not sufficient to bring the castle up to the standard of contemporary military fortifications which were designed to withstand powerful artillery.^[112] Although the defences were repaired, the palace buildings were left in a state of neglect after Henry’s death. Their condition was so poor that they were virtually uninhabitable.^[100] From 1547 onwards, the Tower of London was only used as a royal residence when its political and historic symbolism was considered useful, for instance each of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I briefly stayed at the Tower before their coronations.^[113]

In the 16th century, the Tower acquired an enduring reputation as a grim, forbidding prison. This had not always been the case. As a royal castle, it was used by the monarch to imprison people for various reasons, however these were usually high-status individuals for short periods rather than common citizenry as there were plenty of prisons elsewhere for such people. Contrary to the popular image of the Tower, prisoners were able to make their life easier by purchasing amenities such as better food or tapestries through the Lieutenant of the Tower.^[114] As holding prisoners was originally an incidental role of the Tower – as would have been the case for any castle – there was no purpose-built accommodation for prisoners until 1687 when a brick shed, a «Prison for Soldiers», was built to the north-west of the White Tower. The Tower’s reputation for torture and imprisonment derives largely from 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century romanticists.^[115] Although much of the Tower’s reputation is exaggerated, the 16th and 17th centuries marked the castle’s zenith as a prison, with many religious and political undesirables locked away.^[115] The Privy Council had to sanction the use of torture, so it was not often used; between 1540 and 1640, the peak of imprisonment at the Tower, there were 48 recorded cases of the use of torture. The three most common forms used were the infamous rack, the Scavenger’s daughter, and manacles.^[116] The rack was introduced to England in 1447 by the Duke of Exeter, the Constable of the Tower; consequentially it was also known as the Duke of Exeter’s daughter.^[117] One of those tortured at the Tower was Guy Fawkes, who was brought there on 6 November 1605; after torture he signed a full confession to the Gunpowder Plot.^[115]

Among those held and executed at the Tower was Anne Boleyn.^[115] Although the Yeoman Warders were once the Royal Bodyguard, by the 16th and 17th centuries their main duty had become to look after the prisoners.^[118] The Tower was often a safer place than other prisons in London such as the Fleet, where disease was rife. High-status prisoners could live in conditions comparable to those they might expect outside; one such example was that while Walter Raleigh was held in the Tower his rooms were altered to accommodate his family, including his son who was born there in 1605.^[116] Executions were usually carried out on Tower Hill rather than in the Tower of London itself, and 112 people were executed on the hill over 400 years.^[119] Before the 20th century, there had been seven executions within the castle on Tower Green; as was the case with Lady Jane Grey, this was reserved for prisoners for whom public execution was considered dangerous.^[119] After Lady Jane Grey’s execution on 12 February 1554,^[120] Queen Mary I imprisoned her sister Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, in the Tower under suspicion of causing rebellion as Sir Thomas Wyatt had led a revolt against Mary in Elizabeth’s name.^[121]

The Office of Ordnance and Armoury Office were founded in the 15th century, taking over the Privy Wardrobe’s duties of looking after the monarch’s arsenal and valuables.^[122] As there was no standing army before 1661, the importance of the royal armoury at the Tower of London was that it provided a professional basis for procuring supplies and equipment in times of war. The two bodies were resident at the Tower from at least 1454, and by the 16th century they had moved to a position in the inner ward.^[123] The Board of Ordnance (successor to these Offices) had its headquarters in the White Tower and used surrounding buildings for storage. In 1855 the Board was abolished; its successor (the Military Store Department of the War Office) was also based there until 1869, after which its headquarters staff were relocated to the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich (where the recently closed Woolwich Dockyard was converted into a vast ordnance store).^[124]

Political tensions between Charles I and Parliament in the second quarter of the 17th century led to an attempt by forces loyal to the King to secure the Tower and its valuable contents, including money and munitions. London’s Trained Bands, a militia force, were moved into the castle in 1640. Plans for defence were drawn up and gun platforms were built, readying the Tower for war. The preparations were never put to the test. In 1642, Charles I attempted to arrest five members of parliament. When this failed he fled the city, and Parliament retaliated by removing Sir John Byron, the Lieutenant of the Tower. The Trained Bands had switched sides, and now supported Parliament; together with the London citizenry, they blockaded the Tower. With permission from the King, Byron relinquished control of the Tower. Parliament replaced Byron with a man of their own choosing, Sir John Conyers. By the time the English Civil War broke out in November 1642, the Tower of London was already in Parliament’s control.^[125]

The last monarch to uphold the tradition of taking a procession from the Tower to Westminster to be crowned was Charles II in 1661. At the time, the castle’s accommodation was in such poor condition that he did not stay there the night before his coronation.^[126] Under the Stuart kings the Tower’s buildings were remodelled, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. Just over £4,000 was spent in 1663 on building a new storehouse, now known as the New Armouries in the inner ward.^[42] In the 17th century there were plans to enhance the Tower’s defences in the style of the trace italienne, however they were never acted on. Although the facilities for the garrison were improved with the addition of the first purpose-built quarters for soldiers (the «Irish Barracks») in 1670, the general accommodations were still in poor condition.^[127]

When the Hanoverian dynasty ascended the throne, their situation was uncertain and with a possible Scottish rebellion in mind, the Tower of London was repaired. Most of the work in this period (1750 to 1770) was done by the King’s Master Mason, John Deval.^[128] Gun platforms added under the Stuarts had decayed. The number of guns at the Tower was reduced from 118 to 45, and one contemporary commentator noted that the castle «would not hold out four and twenty hours against an army prepared for a siege».^[129] For the most part, the 18th-century work on the defences was spasmodic and piecemeal, although a new gateway in the southern curtain wall permitting access from the wharf to the outer ward was added in 1774. The moat surrounding the castle had become silted over the centuries since it was created despite attempts at clearing it. It was still an integral part of the castle’s defences, so in 1830 the Constable of the Tower, the Duke of Wellington, ordered a large-scale clearance of several feet of silt. However this did not prevent an outbreak of disease in the garrison in 1841 caused by poor water supply, resulting in several deaths. To prevent the festering ditch posing further health problems, it was ordered that the moat should be drained and filled with earth. The work began in 1843 and was mostly complete two years later. The construction of the Waterloo Barracks in the inner ward began in 1845, when the Duke of Wellington laid the foundation stone. The building could accommodate 1,000 men; at the same time, separate quarters for the officers were built to the north-east of the White Tower. The building is now the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.^[130] The popularity of the Chartist movement between 1828 and 1858 led to a desire to refortify the Tower of London in the event of civil unrest. It was the last major programme of fortification at the castle. Most of the surviving installations for the use of artillery and firearms date from this period.^[131]

During the First World War, eleven men were tried in private and shot by firing squad at the Tower for espionage.^[132] During the Second World War, the Tower was once again used to hold prisoners of war. One such person was Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, albeit just for four days in 1941. He was the last state prisoner to be held at the castle.^[133] The last person to be executed at the Tower was German spy Josef Jakobs who was shot on 15 August 1941.^[134] The executions for espionage during the wars took place in a prefabricated miniature rifle range which stood in the outer ward and was demolished in 1969.^[135] The Second World War also saw the last use of the Tower as a fortification. In the event of a German invasion, the Tower, together with the Royal Mint and nearby warehouses, was to have formed one of three «keeps» or complexes of defended buildings which formed the last-ditch defences of the capital.^[136]

Restoration and tourism[edit]

The Tower of London has become established as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. It has been a tourist attraction since at least the Elizabethan period, when it was one of the sights of London that foreign visitors wrote about. Its most popular attractions were the Royal Menagerie and displays of armour. The Crown Jewels also garner much interest, and have been on public display since 1669. The Tower steadily gained popularity with tourists through the 19th century, despite the opposition of the Duke of Wellington to visitors. Numbers became so high that by 1851 a purpose-built ticket office was erected. By the end of the century, over 500,000 were visiting the castle every year.^[138]

Over the 18th and 19th centuries, the palatial buildings were slowly adapted for other uses and demolished. Only the Wakefield and St Thomas’s Towers survived.^[126] The 18th century marked an increasing interest in England’s medieval past. One of the effects was the emergence of Gothic Revival architecture. In the Tower’s architecture, this was manifest when the New Horse Armoury was built in 1825 against the south face of the White Tower. It featured elements of Gothic Revival architecture such as battlements. Other buildings were remodelled to match the style and the Waterloo Barracks were described as «castellated Gothic of the 15th century».^[139][140] Between 1845 and 1885 institutions such as the Mint which had inhabited the castle for centuries moved to other sites; many of the post-medieval structures left vacant were demolished. In 1855, the War Office took over responsibility for manufacture and storage of weapons from the Ordnance Office, which was gradually phased out of the castle. At the same time, there was greater interest in the history of the Tower of London.^[139]

Public interest was partly fuelled by contemporary writers, of whom the work of William Harrison Ainsworth was particularly influential. In The Tower of London: A Historical Romance he created a vivid image of underground torture chambers and devices for extracting confessions that stuck in the public imagination.^[115] Ainsworth also played another role in the Tower’s history, as he suggested that Beauchamp Tower should be opened to the public so they could see the inscriptions of 16th- and 17th-century prisoners. Working on the suggestion, Anthony Salvin refurbished the tower and led a further programme for a comprehensive restoration at the behest of Prince Albert. Salvin was succeeded in the work by John Taylor. When a feature did not meet his expectations of medieval architecture Taylor would ruthlessly remove it; as a result, several important buildings within the castle were pulled down and in some cases post-medieval internal decoration removed.^[141]

Although only one bomb fell on the Tower of London in the First World War (it landed harmlessly in the moat), the Second World War left a greater mark. On 23 September 1940, during the Blitz, high-explosive bombs damaged the castle, destroying several buildings and narrowly missing the White Tower. After the war, the damage was repaired and the Tower of London was reopened to the public.^[142]

A 1974 bombing in the White Tower Mortar Room left one person dead and 41 injured. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but the police investigated suspicions that the IRA was behind it.^[143]

In the 21st century, tourism is the Tower’s primary role, with the remaining routine military activities, under the Royal Logistic Corps, having wound down in the latter half of the 20th century and moved out of the castle.^[142] However, the Tower is still home to the regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the museum dedicated to it and its predecessor, the Royal Fusiliers.^[144][145] Also, a detachment of the unit providing the King’s Guard at Buckingham Palace still mounts a guard at the Tower, and with the Yeomen Warders, takes part in the Ceremony of the Keys each day.^{[146][147][148]} On several occasions through the year gun salutes are fired from the Tower by the Honourable Artillery Company, these consist of 62 rounds for royal occasions, and 41 on other occasions.^[149]

Since 1990, the Tower of London has been cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown.^[150] In 1988, the Tower of London was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, in recognition of its global importance and to help conserve and protect the site.^[151][152] However, recent developments, such as the construction of skyscrapers nearby, have pushed the Tower towards being added to the United Nations’ Heritage in Danger List.^[153] The remains of the medieval palace have been open to the public since 2006 where visitors can explore the restored chambers.^[154] Although the position of Constable of the Tower remains the highest position held at the Tower,^[155] the responsibility of day-to-day administration is delegated to the Resident Governor.^[156] The Constable is appointed for a five-year term; this is primarily a ceremonial post today but the Constable is also a trustee of Historic Royal Palaces and of the Royal Armouries. General Sir Gordon Messenger was appointed Constable in 2022.^[157]

At least six ravens are kept at the Tower at all times, in accordance with the belief that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall.^[158] They are under the care of the Ravenmaster, one of the Yeoman Warders.^[159] As well as having ceremonial duties, the Yeoman Warders provide guided tours around the Tower.^[110][118]

Garrison[edit]

The Yeomen Warders provided the permanent garrison of the Tower, but the Constable of the Tower could call upon the men of the Tower Hamlets to supplement them when necessary. The Tower Hamlets, aka Tower Division of Middlesex’s Ossulstone Hundred was an area, significantly larger than the modern London Borough of the same name, which owed military service to the Constable in his ex officio role as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets.^[160]

The earliest surviving reference to the inhabitants of the Tower Hamlets having a duty to provide a guard for the Tower of London is from 1554, during the reign of Mary I, but the relationship is thought to go back much further. Some believe the connection goes back to the time of the Conqueror.^[161] The duty is likely to have had its origin in the rights and obligations of the Manor of Stepney which covered most or all of the Hamlets area.^[162][161]

Crown Jewels[edit]

The tradition of housing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London probably dates from the reign of Henry III (1216–1272). The Jewel House was built specifically to house the royal regalia, including jewels, plate, and symbols of royalty such as the crown, sceptre, and sword. When money needed to be raised, the treasure could be pawned by the monarch. The treasure allowed the monarch independence from the aristocracy and consequently was closely guarded. A new position for «keeper of the jewels, armouries and other things» was created,^[163] which was well rewarded; in the reign of Edward III (1327–1377) the holder was paid 12d a day. The position grew to include other duties including purchasing royal jewels, gold, and silver, and appointing royal goldsmiths and jewellers.^[163]

In 1649, during the English Commonwealth following Charles I’s execution, the contents of the Jewel House were disposed of along with other royal properties, as decreed by Cromwell. Metal items were sent to the Mint to be melted down and re-used, and the crowns were «totallie broken and defaced».^[164]

When the monarchy was restored in 1660, the only surviving items of the coronation regalia were a 12th-century spoon and three ceremonial swords. (Some pieces that had been sold were later returned to the Crown.)^[165] Detailed records of old regalia survived, and replacements were made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 based on drawings from the time of Charles I. For the coronation of Charles II, gems were rented because the treasury could not afford to replace them.^[166]

In 1669, the Jewel House was demolished^[28] and the Crown Jewels moved into Martin Tower (until 1841).^[167] They were displayed here for viewing by the paying public. This was exploited two years later when Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal them.^[138] Blood and his accomplices bound and gagged the Jewel House keeper. Although they laid their hands on the Imperial State Crown, Sceptre and Orb, they were foiled when the keeper’s son turned up unexpectedly and raised the alarm.^[164][168]

Since 1994, the Crown Jewels have been on display in the Jewel House in the Waterloo Block. Some of the pieces were once regularly used by Queen Elizabeth II. The display includes 23,578 gemstones, the 800-year-old Coronation Spoon, St Edward’s Crown (traditionally placed on a monarch’s head at the moment of crowning) and the Imperial State Crown.^{[169][170][171]}

Royal Menagerie[edit]

There is evidence that King John (1166–1216) first started keeping wild animals at the Tower.^[172][173] Records of 1210–1212 show payments to lion keepers.^[174]

The Royal Menagerie is frequently referenced during the reign of Henry III. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II presented Henry with three leopards, circa 1235, which were kept in the Tower.^[175] In 1252, the sheriffs were ordered to pay fourpence a day towards the upkeep of the King’s polar bear, a gift from Haakon IV of Norway in the same year; the bear attracted a great deal of attention from Londoners when it went fishing in the Thames while tied to the land by a chain.^{[68][176][177]} In 1254 or 1255, Henry III received an African elephant from Louis IX of France depicted by Matthew Paris in his Chronica Majora. A wooden structure was built to house the elephant, 12.2 m (40 ft) long by 6.1 m (20 ft) wide.^[174][68] The animal died in 1258, possibly because it was given red wine, but also perhaps because of the cold climate of England.^[178]

In 1288, Edward I added a lion and a lynx and appointed the first official Keeper of the animals.^[179]
Edward III added other types of animals, two lions, a leopard and two wildcats. Under subsequent kings, the number of animals grew to include additional cats of various types, jackals, hyenas, and an old brown bear, Max, gifted to Henry VIII by Emperor Maximilian.^[180] In 1436, during the time of Henry VI, all the lions died and the employment of Keeper William Kerby was terminated.^[179]

Historical records indicate that a semi-circular structure or barbican was built by Edward I in 1277; this area was later named the Lion Tower, to the immediate west of the Middle Tower. Records from 1335 indicate the purchase of a lock and key for the lions and leopards, also suggesting they were located near the western entrance of the Tower. By the 1500s that area was called the Menagerie.^[174] Between 1604 and 1606 the Menagerie was extensively refurbished and an exercise yard was created in the moat area beside the Lion Tower. An overhead platform was added for viewing of the lions by the royals, during lion baiting, for example in the time of James I. Reports from 1657 include mention of six lions, increasing to 11 by 1708, in addition to other types of cats, eagles, owls and a jackal.^[174]

By the 18th century, the menagerie was open to the public; admission cost three half-pence or a cat or dog to be fed to the lions. By the end of the century, that had increased to 9 pence.^[174][181] A particularly famous inhabitant was Old Martin, a large grizzly bear given to George III by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1811.^[182][183] An 1800 inventory also listed a tiger, leopards, a hyena, a large baboon, various types of monkeys, wolves, and «other animals».^[184] By 1822, however, the collection included only a grizzly bear, an elephant, and some birds. Additional animals were then introduced.^[185] In 1828, there were over 280 representing at least 60 species as the new keeper Alfred Copps was actively acquiring animals.^[186]

After the death of George IV in 1830, a decision was made to close down the Menagerie on the orders of the Duke of Wellington.^[187] In 1831, most of the stock was moved to the London Zoo which had opened in 1828.^[188] This decision was made after an incident, although sources vary as to the specifics: either a lion was accused of biting a soldier,^[189][190] or a sailor, Ensign Seymour, had been bitten by a monkey.^[174][191] The last of the animals left in 1835, relocated to Regent’s Park. The Menagerie buildings were removed in 1852 but the Keeper of the Royal Menagerie was entitled to use the Lion Tower as a house for life. Consequently, even though the animals had long since left the building, the tower was not demolished until the death of Copps, the last keeper, in 1853.^[189]

In 1999, physical evidence of lion cages was found, one being 2×3 metres (6.5×10 feet) in size, very small for a lion that can grow to be 2.5 meters (approximately 8 feet) long.^[175] In 2008, the skulls of two male Barbary lions (now extinct in the wild) from northwest Africa were found in the moat area of the Tower. Radiocarbon tests dated them from 1280 to 1385 and 1420–1480.^[173] In 2011, an exhibition was hosted at the Tower with fine wire sculptures by Kendra Haste.^[192]

In folklore[edit]

The Tower of London has been represented in popular culture in many ways. As a result of 16th and 19th century writers, the Tower has a reputation as a grim fortress, a place of torture and execution.^[193]

One of the earliest traditions associated with the Tower was that it was built by Julius Caesar; the story was popular amongst writers and antiquaries. The earliest recorded attribution of the Tower to the Roman ruler dates to the mid-14th century in a poem by Sir Thomas Gray.^[194] The origin of the myth is uncertain, although it may be related to the fact that the Tower was built in the corner of London’s Roman walls. Another possibility is that someone misread a passage from Gervase of Tilbury in which he says Caesar built a tower at Odnea in France. Gervase wrote Odnea as Dodres, which is close to the French for London, Londres.^[195] Today, the story survives in William Shakespeare’s Richard II and Richard III,^[196] and as late as the 18th century some still regarded the Tower as built by Caesar.^[197]

Anne Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 for treason against Henry VIII; her ghost supposedly haunts the Church of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower, where she is buried, and has been said to walk around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm.^[198] This haunting is commemorated in the 1934 comic song «With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm». Other reported ghosts include Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole, and the Princes in the Tower.^[199] In January 1816, a sentry on guard outside the Jewel House claimed to have witnessed an apparition of a bear advancing towards him, and reportedly died of fright a few days later.^[199] In October 1817, a tubular, glowing apparition was claimed to have been seen in the Jewel House by the Keeper of the Crown Jewels, Edmund Lenthal Swifte. He said that the apparition hovered over the shoulder of his wife, leading her to exclaim: «Oh, Christ! It has seized me!» Other nameless and formless terrors have been reported, more recently, by night staff at the Tower.^[200]

See also[edit]

• Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
• List of buildings that survived the Great Fire of London
• List of castles in England
• List of prisoners of the Tower of London
• Zammitello Palace, built in imitation of the Tower of London

References[edit]

Explanatory notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

General bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Further reading recommended by Historic Royal Palaces (archived 11 May 2010)
• Bibliography of sources relating to the Tower of London
• «Tower of London, The» . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.

Read the text about the Tower of London. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
photos, place, part, care
Welcome to the Tower of London!

There are lots of wonderful sights and interesting activities in this ancient fortress. You can visit the museums and see the famous Crown Jewels in one of them. You can take _ of the famous black ravens that live in the Tower. There are six of them and each raven has a name. You can enjoy historical performances that take _ in the White Tower!

The guards of the Tower, known as Beefeaters, take _ of the fortress and tell the tourists about its long and cruel history. You can also take _ in historical trips. We hope you’ll enjoy your day.
LOOK AND LEARN!
historical [hɪ’stɒrɪkl] – исторический

The tower of London is a medieval ensemble of the city of London. It is a particularly well-preserved 11th-century fortress that is the pride of
the Londoners, and beyond, of all the British. They call it «Tower of London», of course. This fortress is located in the heart of London on the
banks of the River Thames on the north shore. It forms a tourist complex with the well-known Tower Bridge which is this famous rocking bridge of
the capital of the United Kingdom.



Tower of London

Aerial view of the Tower of London, one of the main monuments of the British capital

The Tower of London consists of a group of buildings surrounding the main tower, the White Tower, all
protected by two rows of ramparts plus a dried moat. Inside there were royal dwellings, but also a barracks, guard rooms, defensive towers, and so on.
Nowadays two buildings are of great interest to tourists: The barracks have been converted into exhibition
halls for crown jewels, and the white tower, which contains museum pieces of great interest.

The Tower of London has a national and international influence as far as it is known as a representation of the British power in the World. It is
especially known to the British themselves as the source of the independence of the nation, since this fortress was at the same time the lock of the
Thames, hence of trade, and the London padlock, taken under resistance of these ramparts. Thus endowed with economic and military strength, the
supporters of the fortress of London were the masters of England and, over time, of the entire British Empire.

This website allows you to discover the Tower of London with, for example, its location, photos,
plan, etc. But you will also find its description, building by building, as well as its
history and a record on how to visit it. There are also
a lot of other things to read, you will see them on the site map.

The Tower of London is the official royal palace of Her Majesty the Queen of England, although the last sovereign who lived there was
James I (1566-1625).

The White Tower, the famous square building with turrets in each corner that gave its name to the entire fortress, is currently at the
center of this complex of several buildings along the Thames in central London. The complex was used as a fortress, armory, palace, detention
facility, observatory, refuge and prison, especially for high-ranking prisoners. This last use gave the expression «To be sent to the tower»,
synonymous with «to go the prison». In France, we invited a word for it: «embastillé», which was also built in reference to the Bastille.
Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned during her sister Mary’s reign, and the last time the tower was used as a prison was during the Second World
War, for Rudolf Hess.

World Heritage

The Tower of London was inscribed in 1988 as World Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. The reason for this inscription was twofold. On the one
hand, the Tower of London was regarded as an exceptionally well-preserved medieval building, and on the other hand it was of great importance
as a center of uninterrupted power for several centuries. These two reasons were sufficient for the fortress to be part of UNESCO’s heritage.

Legends, traditions and real facts

It’s crazy the number of legends and traditions that revolve around the Tower of London. The most famous legend is undoubtedly that of the
crows. There are always some crows raised in the Tower of London. It is a tradition because the
legend tells that when the last raven of the tower leaves, the English monarchy will collapse. So, since the fifteenth century there is always
at least one raven. They are permanently bred in the form of a group of few individuals, in the early 2000s we were on a group of 7 ravens only.
They are fed by the guards and are the object of great attention. In the middle of the twentieth century the population of crows in the tower
fell to a single bird, but fortunately we were able to complete the herd in time before it died.

Among the different traditions is the presence of a menagerie, which was installed there
at the beginning of the thirteenth century and which lasted until 1828.

The guardians of the tower are the Yeoman warders. They are recognizable by their typical outfits, and
especially by their presence in the tower. Formerly recruited to defend the fortress, they are nowadays the guides. They provide a guided tour
every hour, free of charge, and the motivation that they put there is proportional to the interest of the visitors. They are often strong heads,
passionate about their craft, but must be respected above all. Moreover, they are all former soldiers who have done — at least — 22 years of
career!

This body is now feminized since in 2007 a first woman was recruited. Traditions, yes, but modernity above all.

The tower of London contains the famous collection of jewels of the crown, one of the most famous
jewelry collections in the world. Their values ​​- obviously invaluable — are mostly patrimonial. It contains, for example, the largest
diamond in the world, it is mounted on a scepter. The collection also has two of the world’s most beautiful crowns, including the Imperial
State Crown that the monarch receives at the time of his coronation.

One can freely visit the jewels of the crown when one is at the tower of London. Nothing but this discovery is worth the visit.

Learn more about:

• Jewels of the crown
• Yeoman warders
• Crows
• Menagerie

Torture, imprisonment and executions

If not, who has never heard of the long torture that took place at the Tower of London? This fortress was not only impressive, it was the
seat of many gossip predicting that a thousand tortures were practiced there.

Well, actually, it’s not true.

It is true that torture has been used here, it can not be denied. But the reputation of the Tower of London is largely usurped, in fact
this legend was mainly propagated by the Protestants of the nineteenth century which there found a way to place itself in opposition to behaviors
rejected by the Church. Clearly, the harder they sound from the Tower of London, the more they would look good.

on the other hand the Tower of London was the place of imprisonment of many people. Most of the 21 towers had cells in their ground floor, and
the person who resided above had «his» prisoners. The latter were rather high-ranking personalities. It was here that kings and fallen queens were
imprisoned, including a king of France. They surrounded famous bandits, government officials who did not choose the right camps during a conflict,
a king of Scotland, and so on. From the seventeenth century the role of prison became even more important with the abandonment of the tower by the
members of the royal family, who preferred to live elsewhere.

When there were capital executions, there were also, but not so many. Two queens were killed here! To commemorate their memoirs, as well as those
of all those sentenced to death in the Tower of London, a memorial was built at the place of execution. It should be noted that only the important
people were «lucky» to be killed here — by decapitation. Most of the time the executions took place a little north of the tower, in a place called
«Tower Hill» which was a large place to accommodate the crowd.

Learn more about torture, executions and imprisonment at the tower of London.

A history of 1000 years …

… or almost. In fact, the Tower of London was built at the end of the eleventh century by William the Conqueror
as a dungeon to watch over and even subdue the population of London. Recosnated in stone a few decades later, it was extensively reworked twice. The
first time by Henry III in the thirteenth century, a period during which the first enclosure was built, and the second 200
years more goes with the construction of the second enclosure.

Subsequently, no further significant changes were made. Certainly it has changed, it has received many modifications, destroyed towers, others built,
ramparts suppressed and buildings destroyed, but the general structure of the Tower of London has not changed for centuries. This allows us to see her
in a state close to what she was at the time.

Learn more about the history of the tower of London.

Visit the Tower of London

Want to visit the Tower of London? It’s a good idea !

In fact the Tower of London is one of the main elements of the heritage of the British capital. London is a beautiful, modern city, and requires
several days of sightseeing. Needless to go there without visiting this tower, which is actually a really very interesting fortress.

For a decent amount — not cheap either … — you can spend a whole day in the walls. But half a day is the minimum. You will see not only the
buildings, the towers, the ramparts, but also the collections stored in the white tower, and especially
the fantastic collection of Jewels of the crown. But that’s not all: You also have to see the museum of
fusilliers, the animations, the ceremony of the keys, and you can follow, free, the guided tours of
Yeoman Warders, etc.

See also: Organise your visit.

See also: Exemple of visits.

See also:

Description of the tower of London

History of the tower of London

Tower of London*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	488
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1988  (12th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Tower of London (known historically simply as The Tower), is an ancient fortress and historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill.

The Tower of London is sometimes identified with the White Tower, the original stark square fortress that was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and finished by his sons and successors, William Rufus and Henry I, around 1087. However, the official site—the formal name of which is Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London—is a complex of several buildings set within two parallel rings of defensive walls and a moat.

The Tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison, particularly for noble and royal prisoners. It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armory, a treasury, a zoo, a mint, a public records office, an observatory, and the home of the Crown Jewels. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of London’s most popular tourist attractions.

History

The Tower of London was founded in 1078, when William the Conqueror ordered the White Tower (also known as the Great Tower) to be built inside the southeast angle of the city walls, adjacent to the Thames.

It functioned as much to protect the Normans from the people of London as to protect London from outside invaders. William ordered the Tower to be built of Caen stone, which he had specially imported from France, and appointed Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, as the architect.

Some writers, such as Shakespeare in Richard III, have ascribed an earlier origin to the Tower of London presuming it to have been built by Julius Caesar. This supposed Roman origin is a myth, however, as is a story that the mortar used in its construction was tempered by the blood of beasts.

In the twelfth century, King Richard the Lionheart enclosed the White Tower with a wall and had a moat dug around it filled with water from the Thames. The moat was finished by Henry III, in the thirteenth century, who employed a more effective Dutch moat-building technique. Henry also greatly strengthened the wall, and transformed the Tower into a major royal residence and had palatial buildings constructed within the Inner Bailey.

The fortification was completed between 1275 and 1285 by Edward I who built the outer «curtain wall,» completely enclosing the inner wall and thus creating a concentric double defense. He filled in the pre-existing moat and built a new moat around the outer wall.

The Tower remained a royal residence until the time of Oliver Cromwell, who demolished the old palatial buildings.

Menagerie

A Royal Menagerie was established at the Tower in the thirteenth century, possibly as early as 1204 during the reign of King John, and probably stocked with animals from an earlier menagerie started in 1125 by Henry I at his palace in Woodstock, near Oxford. Its year of origin is often stated as 1235, when Henry III received a wedding gift of three leopards (so recorded, although they may have been lions) from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1264, they were moved to the Bulwark, which was duly renamed the Lion Tower, near the main western entrance. It was opened as an occasional public spectacle in the reign of Elizabeth I. A lion skull was radiocarbon dated to between 1280 and 1385, making it the earliest medieval big cat known in Britain.^[1]

By 1804, the menagerie was open to the public. This was where William Blake saw the tiger that is thought to have inspired his poem The Tyger. The menagerie’s last director, Alfred Cops, who took over in 1822, found the collection in a dismal state, but restocked it and issued an illustrated scientific catalog. Partly for commercial reasons and partly for animal welfare, the animals were eventually moved to the London Zoo. The last of the animals left in 1835, and most of the Lion Tower was demolished soon after, although Lion Gate remains.

Ravens

It is thought that there have been at least six ravens in residence at the Tower for centuries. It was said that Charles II ordered their removal following complaints from John Flamsteed, the Royal Astronomer.^[2] However, they were not removed because Charles was then told of the legend that stated if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the White Tower, the Monarchy, and the entire Kingdom would fall. Charles, following the time of the English Civil War, superstition or not, was not prepared to take the chance, and instead had the observatory moved to Greenwich.

No one can remember the Tower without Ravens, though during the Second World War most of them perished through shock during bombing raids—the sole survivor being a bird called Grip (Diehl, 2006). However, before the Tower reopened to the public on January 1, 1946, care was taken to ensure that a new set of ravens were in place.^[3]

In 2006, during the avian flu scare, the remaining ravens, whose wings have been clipped, were moved indoors; as of July 2006, they are once again free to roam about the grounds within the Tower complex.

Prisoners and Executions

Prisoners

The Tower of London was used as a prison for those of high rank and for religious dissidents. Those of high rank, including prisoners of royal status, were housed in relative comfort. Religious dissidents were however much more severely treated and were often tortured.

The first prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100 who, as Bishop of Durham, was found guilty of extortion. Ironically, he had himself been responsible for various improvements to the design of the Tower after the first architect Gundulf moved back to Rochester. He escaped from the White Tower by climbing down a rope, which had been smuggled into his cell in a wine casket.

Other prisoners include:

• John Baliol, King of Scotland
• David II, King of Scotland
• John II, King of France
• Henry VI of England was imprisoned in the Tower, where he was murdered on May 21, 1471. Popular legend has accused Richard, Duke of Gloucester of his murder. Each year on the anniversary of Henry VI’s death, the Provosts of Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge, lay roses and lilies on the altar which now stands where he died.
• Margaret of Anjou, wife of the above
• Sir William de la Pole. A distant relative of King Henry VIII, he was incarcerated at the Tower for 37 years (1502–1539) for allegedly plotting against Henry VII, thus becoming the longest serving prisoner there.
• Queen Elizabeth I, imprisoned for two months in 1554 for her alleged involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion.
• John Gerard, S.J. (1564–1637) was an English Jesuit priest, operating undercover during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when Catholics were being persecuted. He was captured, then incarcerated and tortured in the Salt Tower before making a daring escape by rope across the moat.
• Sir Walter Raleigh spent 13 years (1603–1616) imprisoned at the Tower, but was able to live in relative comfort in the Bloody Tower with his wife and two children. For some of the time he even grew tobacco on Tower Green, just outside his apartment. Here he wrote The History of the World.
• Niall Garve O’Donnell, Irish nobleman, ironically a one-time ally of the English against his cousin, Red Hugh O’Donnell.
• Guy Fawkes, famous for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, was brought to the Tower to be interrogated by a council of the King’s Ministers. However, he was not executed there. When he confessed, he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered in the Old Palace Yard at Westminster, however he escaped his fate by jumping off the scaffold at the gallows which in turn broke his neck and killed him.
• Johan Anders Jägerhorn, a Swedish officer from Finland, Lord Edward FitzGerald’s friend, participating in the Irish independence movement. He spent two years in the Tower (1799–1801), but was released because of Russian interests.
• Lord George Gordon, instigator of the Gordon Riots in 1780, spent six months in the Tower while awaiting trial on the charge of High Treason.

Executions

Lower-class criminals were usually executed by hanging at one of the public execution sites outside the Tower. Several high-profile convicts, such as Thomas More, were publicly executed on Tower Hill. Seven nobles (five of them ladies) were beheaded privately on Tower Green, inside the complex, and then buried in the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula (Latin for «in chains,» making him an appropriate patron saint for prisoners) next to the Green. Some of the nobles who were executed outside the Tower are also buried in that chapel.^[4]
The names of the seven beheaded on Tower Green for treason are:

• William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483)
• Anne Boleyn (1536)
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
• Catherine Howard (1542)
• Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542)
• Lady Jane Grey (1554)
• Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1601)

The Queen Anne Boleyn, beheaded in 1536 for treason against King Henry VIII, is said to be seen walking around the tower carrying her head under her arm.

George, Duke of Clarence, the brother of Edward IV of England, was executed for treason in the Tower in February 1478, but not by beheading (and probably not by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine, despite what Shakespeare wrote).

However, perhaps the most famous deaths at the Tower were the rumored victims of King Richard III, Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury.

When Edward IV died, he left two young sons behind: the Princes in the Tower. His brother Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, was made regent until the older of his two sons, Edward V, should come of age. According to Thomas More’s History of Richard III Richard hired men to kill them, and, one night, the two princes were smothered with their pillows. Many years later bones were found buried at the foot of a stairway in the Tower, which are thought to be those of the Princes. Richard was crowned King Richard III of England.

The last execution at the Tower was that of German spy Josef Jakobs on August 14, 1941 by firing squad formed from the Scots Guards.

Torture

Inside the torture chambers of the tower various implements of torture were used such as the Scavenger’s daughter, a kind of compression device, and the Rack, also known as the Duke of Exeter’s Daughter.^[5]

The Protestant martyr Anne Askew is the only woman on record to have been tortured in the tower, after being taken there in 1546 on a charge of heresy. Sir Anthony Kingston, the Constable of the Tower, was ordered to torture her in an attempt to force her to name other Protestants. Anne was tortured, eventually to her death, on the rack. Kingston was so impressed with the way Anne behaved that he refused to continue punishing her, and Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor had to take over.

Recent History

The military use of the Tower as a fortification, like that of other such castles, became obsolete with the introduction of artillery, and the moat was drained in 1830. However, the Tower did serve as the headquarters of the Board of Ordnance until 1855, and the Tower was still occasionally used as a prison through both World Wars. In 1780, the Tower held its only American prisoner, former President of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens. In World War I, 11 German spies were shot in the Tower. Irish rebel Roger Casement was imprisoned in the Tower during his trial on treason charges in 1916. The last execution, that of German spy Josef Jakobs, took place during World War II.

In 1942 Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, was imprisoned in the tower for four days. During this time, RAF Wing Commander George Salaman was placed in the same cell undercover, impersonating a Luftwaffe officer, to spy on Hess. The tower was used as a prison for German prisoners of war throughout the conflict.

Waterloo Barracks, the current location of the Crown Jewels, remained in use as a base for the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) into the 1950s. In 1952, the Kray twins were briefly held there for failing to report for national service, making them among the last prisoners of the Tower.

Although it is no longer a royal residence, the Tower officially remains a royal palace, and as such, maintains a permanent Guard, part of the unit forming the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace. Two sentries are maintained during the hours that the Tower is open, with one stationed outside the Jewel House and one outside the Queen’s House.

Description

The Tower of London assumed its form as a “concentric” castle, with successive lines of fortification, only after several reigns. Here, the rectangular keep of three stories—the topmost was later divided into two—stands in the center of an inner bailey, the defensive wall surrounding an outer court of a castle, or the courtyard itself. surrounded by a wall with 13 towers (c. 1250), which are in turn, enclosed by an outer bailey and wall with eight towers and an encircling moat (c. 1280).
The oldest visible structure is the White Tower; other elements added over the centuries are evident, right up to modern additions, most of which cater for the tourist or security needs. The massive White Tower is representative of Norman military architecture, which is found throughout the kingdom.

The White Tower is the central tower at the Tower of London. It is a massive construction, 90 feet high and 118 feet by 107 feet across, the walls varying from almost 11 feet thick in the upper parts to15 feet at the base. Above the battlements rise four turrets; three of them are square, but the one on the northeast is circular. This turret once contained the first royal observatory.

The Tower includes the following 21 towers, listed in alphabetic order:

• Beauchamp Tower (pronounced “Beecham”)
• Bell Tower
• Bloody Tower (or the Garden Tower), so named after a legend that the Princes in the Tower were murdered here. Allegedly also haunted by the young princes.
• Bowyer Tower
• Brick Tower
• Broad Arrow Tower
• Byward Tower
• Constable Tower
• Cradle Tower
• Develin Tower
• Deveraux Tower
• Flint Tower
• Lanthorn Tower
• Martin Tower
• Middle Tower
• St. Thomas’s Tower
• Salt Tower
• Wakefield Tower
• Wardrobe Tower
• Well Tower
• White Tower

Crown Jewels

The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303, after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. It is thought that most, if not all, were recovered shortly afterwards. After the coronation of Charles II, they were locked away and shown for a viewing fee paid to a custodian. However, this arrangement ended when Colonel Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels after having bound and gagged the custodian. Thereafter, the Crown Jewels were kept in a part of the Tower known as Jewel House, where armed guards defended them.

They were temporarily taken out of the Tower during World War II, and were reportedly secretly kept in the basement vaults of the Sun Life Insurance company in Montreal, Canada, along with the gold bullion of the Bank of England. However, it has also been said that they were kept in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, or the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, in the United States. The Windsor Castle option is the most likely, as the Crown Jewels are not supposed to leave the country. Many of the Crown Jewels are available for public inspection at the Jewel House today. They are one of the Tower’s most popular attractions.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Abbott, G. Ghosts of the Tower of London. Hendon Publsihing Co. Ltd. 1989. ISBN 978-0860671237
• Diehl, Daniel. Tales from the Tower of London Sutton Publishing. 2006. ISBN 978-0750934978
• Impey, Edward, Hammond, Peter, and Thurley, Simon. The Official Tower of London Guidebook. Historic Royal Palaces. 2000.
• Impey, Edward, and Parnell, Geoffrey. The Tower of London: The Official Illustrated History. Merrell. 2000. ISBN 978-1858941066
• Parnell, Geoffrey. The Tower of London: A 2000 Year History. Osprey Publishing. 2000. ISBN 978-1841761701

External Links

All links retrieved March 14, 2020.

• Camelot International. The Tower of London.
• Dick and Jane’s Travels. The Tower of London.
• English Monarchs. The Tower of London.

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World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom
England	Blenheim Palace  ·  Canterbury Cathedral – St. Augustine’s Abbey – St. Martin’s Church  ·  Bath  ·  Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape  ·  Derwent Valley Mills  ·  Durham Castle and Cathedral  ·  Ironbridge Gorge  ·  Jurassic Coast  ·  Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Hadrian’s Wall)  ·  Kew Gardens  ·  Liverpool  ·  Maritime Greenwich  ·  Westminster Palace – Westminster Abbey – St. Margaret’s Church  ·  Saltaire  ·  Stonehenge and Avebury  ·  Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey  ·  Tower of London
Scotland	Edinburgh Old Town and New Town  ·  Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Maeshowe • Ring of Brodgar • Skara Brae • Standing Stones of Stenness)  ·  New Lanark  ·  St. Kilda
Wales	Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd (Beaumaris Castle • Caernarfon Castle • Conwy Castle • Harlech Castle)  ·  Blaenavon
Northern Ireland	Giant’s Causeway
Overseas territories	Henderson Island  ·  Gough Island and Inaccessible Island  ·  St. George’s Town