The Tower of London
A fortress that has been a palace, a zoo, a mint and a prison, and where a flock of ravens is cared for by an official Ravenmaster.
Published
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick Facts
- Location
- On the north bank of the Thames, east of the City of London
- Built or opened
- White Tower begun around 1078 under William the Conqueror
- Founded by
- William the Conqueror, after the Norman Conquest of 1066
- White Tower height
- About 27 metres (90 feet)
- Famous residents
- The Crown Jewels, the ravens and the Yeoman Warders
- Designation
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988
- Visitor numbers
- Around 3.0 million in 2019 (2,984,499), the last full year before the pandemic
- Executions within the Tower
- Seven famous private beheadings between 1483 and 1601, including Anne Boleyn in 1536, plus later shootings of soldiers and spies
A zoo, a mint and a menagerie of kings
Think of the Tower of London and you probably think of dungeons. In fact, prison was only one of its jobs. Over the centuries it has been a royal palace, an armoury, a treasury, a record office, the home of the Royal Mint and, for about 600 years, a zoo. The Royal Menagerie began in the 13th century. Henry III received a gift of three leopards, and later a polar bear that was allowed to fish in the Thames on a long chain. An elephant arrived in 1255. The animals were finally moved out in the 1830s, and their collection became the seed of London Zoo. The Royal Mint worked inside the walls for around 500 years before it moved out in the early 19th century.
The Conqueror's big statement
William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but winning a battle was not the same as controlling England. London was the richest prize, so he built fortresses to overawe it. The great stone keep, the White Tower, was begun around 1078 and was the tallest building most Londoners had ever seen. It was a deliberate piece of intimidation as much as a defence. Its pale stone was probably brought from Caen in Normandy, and the building gave the whole complex its name. Later kings kept adding to it. Henry III and Edward I turned a single keep into a concentric castle, with two rings of walls and a moat, which is the shape you still walk around today.
Where the famous lost their heads
The Tower's grim reputation is earned, though the details are often exaggerated. Seven famous private beheadings took place within the walls between 1483 and 1601, most of them on Tower Green. Many notorious executions, such as those of Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher, took place outside on Tower Hill. Anne Boleyn was beheaded on the Green in 1536, and Lady Jane Grey, queen for nine days, followed in 1554. The Princes in the Tower, the young sons of Edward IV, vanished from the building in 1483. Two small skeletons found in a stairwell in 1674 were later buried in Westminster Abbey, and what really happened to the boys is still argued over. Those seven were not the Tower's only executions. Three soldiers were shot there in 1743, and eleven German spies were executed during the First World War. The last was another German spy, Josef Jakobs, shot in 1941. The Tower also held prisoners of rank, and many lived in relative comfort, paying for their own food and servants. Guy Fawkes was held here after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Ravens, Beefeaters and a very tight security
Legend says that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall. It is a good story, though the tradition seems to be much more recent than people assume. Whatever its origins, the Tower keeps a number of ravens, looked after by the Ravenmaster, and their wings are clipped to stop them wandering far. The Yeoman Warders, popularly called Beefeaters, are the ceremonial guardians who live on site with their families. They give tours full of well-told tales. Each night the Ceremony of the Keys, a ritual of locking the Tower, has gone on for centuries. The Crown Jewels have been kept here since the 17th century. In 1671 Colonel Thomas Blood nearly walked off with the crown and orb, disguised as a clergyman, and was caught on his way out. Charles II, it is said, pardoned him.
What to look for when you visit
Start with the White Tower, where the Line of Kings armour display includes suits made for Henry VIII. Look for the Chapel of St John, one of the best-preserved Norman interiors in England, plain and tall in pale stone. Walk the wall walks for a view of Tower Bridge, a Victorian neighbour that looks far older than it is. Look for the Bloody Tower, where the princes were said to have been kept, and for Traitors' Gate, the river entrance used for prisoners. Spot the graffiti too: prisoners carved names and messages into the walls of towers such as the Beauchamp Tower, and many are still legible.
Notable people
- William the Conqueror
- Henry III
- Edward I
- Anne Boleyn
- Lady Jane Grey
- Thomas More
- Guy Fawkes
- Thomas Blood
- Josef Jakobs
Test yourself
Play the UK quizMore to see nearby
Wembley Stadium
Published
Wembley's famous arch stands on the spot where Victorian London tried to build a tower taller than the Eiffel Tower, and failed.
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Published
You can stand with one foot in the east and one in the west, but the real story of Greenwich is how a king's astronomer helped sailors find their way home.
Hampton Court Palace
Published
Henry VIII's kitchens at Hampton Court once fed around 600 people twice a day, and the palace's famous maze was planted for a Dutch king to get lost in.