25 Places to visit before you die: No. 15. The Tower of London

There are certain dates that all British schoolchildren know, the seminal dates in British history. Looming large in the memory will be 1066, the Battle of Hastings, and William the Conqueror. William I, ruled England from 1066 until 1087, and in 1078, he commissioned the construction of fortress in London on the north bank of the River Thames. The Norman built Tower, the White Tower, remains today at the centre of the Tower of London. London is a fabulous city to visit, and has many wonderful buildings and sites, but because of the history of the structure and its role in the history of Britain, the Tower of London is on Afterabc's list of 25 Places to visit before you die.

It seems incongruous that a Royal Palace and fortress was also a place of imprisonment, torture and execution. The history of the Tower is interwoven into the history of England and any visitor cannot but help to be absorbed by the stories of Palace intrigue and human betrayal. Further, as home to the Crown Jewels a visitor to the Tower has an opportunity to appreciate some of the most spectacular symbols of Monarchy to be seen anywhere in the world.

 

In the reign of Henry III, (1207 - 1272, reigned 1216 - 1272), the Tower was much added too, converting an area on the south side of the White Tower into a Palatial Royal residence, set within the Inner Bailey. [The Tower remained a Royal residence until parts of the palatial buildings were demolished at the time of Oliver Cromwell, (1599 -1658)]. Henry III also had a very large curtain wall built to defend the White Tower and the Inner Ward.  The curtain wall has thirteen towers. Four are well known because of events that transpired within them: Wakefield Tower, the largest of the towers is believed to be where the imprisoned King Henry VI was murdered as he knelt at prayer. Martin Tower, housed the Crown Jewels from 1669 until 1842 and from where Colonel Blood attempted to steal them in 1671. The Bell Tower pre-dates Henry III and was built as part of the fortifications made by Richard I; it is the oldest of the thirteen towers of the curtain wall and is named after the curfew bell, which has been rung from this tower for over 500 years. The most famous of the thirteen towers is the Bloody Tower (or the Garden Tower), so named after a legend that the Princes in the Tower were murdered there.

Edward I (1239 - 1307, reigned 1272 -1307) continued to make improvements to the Tower upon his return from the Crusades. From 1275 to 1285, an outer curtain wall was constructed with five towers facing the river. The new wall completely enclosed the inner wall and created a concentric double defense the space between the walls is known as the Outer Ward. To increase further the protection of the Tower a new moat was constructed around the new outer wall.

St Thomas's Tower is one of the five river facing towers, and is often referred to as Traitor's Gate because prisoners accused of treason such as Queen Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas More are said to have passed through it.

If the Tower of London were merely the buildings it would still be a great place to visit, but there is much more to see than just the buildings and even a little understanding of some history will further make a trip more memorable.

For many, the Yeoman Wardens, popularly known as, 'Beefeaters' are iconic symbols of Britain. The Beefeaters began guarding the Tower in 1485, and whilst the role today is in practice tour guide, the current 35 Yeomen Warders and the Chief Warder, are still ceremonial guardians of the Tower and the Crown Jewels. All the Yeoman Warders are retired non-commissioned officers from the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force with at least 22 years of service and holders of the Long Service and Good Conduct medal. (Members of the Royal Navy are not eligible, because while members of the other services take oaths to the Crown, members of the Navy take an oath to the Admiralty).

The normal uniform of the Yeoman Warders is dark blue with red trimmings, but on State occasions or when the Queen visits the Tower they wear red and gold uniforms that are similar to those of the Yeomen of the Guard. The Yeomen Warders are often confused with the Yeomen of the Guard, which is actually a distinct corps of Royal Bodyguards. Gilbert and Sullivan perpetuated this confusion by naming their opera The Yeomen of the Guard when it actually concerns Yeomen Warders.

It is not certain how the Yeoman Warders became known as 'Beefeater', however, it may because historically part of Warders' payment would include rations of beef. Alternately, the term may have a may also be connected to the etymology of the word 'beefy' meaning strong and large, since the general public, unlike solders, would have been unable to afford beef, or indeed much protein, as a regular part of their diet, and as a result would be less 'beefy'. Beefeater may once have been a nickname applied to all elite troops, or it may have been a nickname applied to only those fortunate enough, such as Yeoman Wardens, to continue their meat ration in retirement.

 

 

 

 

A visitor to the Tower will quickly spot the large well-fed Ravens that are an ever-present feature of the Tower of London since at least the time of King Charles II, (1630 -1685, reigned, 1660 - 1685). Legend states that if the Ravens ever leave the Tower, the building and the Monarchy would crumble. Indeed, when King Charles II was informed by Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed that the Ravens interfered with observatory work, Charles II ordered the Royal Observatory moved to Greenwich rather than remove the Ravens. (Charles II may not have believed the legend, but after the trauma of the English Civil War, his caution is understandable.    The Legend and by degree of Charles II determines that ten Ravens are employed (six on duty and four young spares) are actually employed by the Tower of London at the expense of the British government. The Ravens are treated very well; provided with Raven's Lodgings near the Wakefield Tower and a Yeoman Warder has the specific role of Ravenmaster, who is tasked with their feeding and ensuring their well-being. Ravens live up to an average of 25 years, but have been known to reach the age of 45 years. To prevent the birds from flying away one of their wings is clipped by the Ravenmaster.

The Royal Armoury was housed at the Tower and many examples of arms and armour dating from the Middle Ages remains on display, including that belonging to the Tudor and Stuart Kings. Indeed, the Tower was the first museum in Britain; having a permanent public display of Armour since the time of Charles II, (1630 -1685, reigned, 1660 - 1685).  Prior to 1660, the collection was not open to the public but records indicate that in 1545 distinguished visitors could view the collection. From 1414 until 1855, the Master of Ordnance, who was responsible for the development, manufacture and storage of weapons for the Army and Navy, was based at the Tower.

The Tower was home to a Royal menagerie until 1835 when the remaining animals were moved to London Zoo, Regents Park. Records indicate that the first exotic animals may have been introduced as early 1204, during the reign of King John (1167 -1216, reigned, 1199 -1216), the animals that included Lions, Leopards, Lynxes and Camels, are believed to stocked from an earlier menagerie started by Henry I (1068/69-1135, reigned 1100-1135), at his palace in Woodstock, near Oxford.   It is known that in 1235, Henry III (1207 - 1272, reigned 1216 -1272) received a wedding gift of three leopards, which were subsequently housed at the Tower, and further a Polar bear was received as a gift in 1252. A lion skull found in the grounds of the Tower was radiocarbon dated to between 1280 and 1385, making it the earliest medieval big cat known in Britain.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, (1533-1603, reigned 1558-1603), the menagerie was opened as an occasional public spectacle, and in the 18th Century was open to the public. A sign of the times is the admission was a sum of three halfpence, or the supply of a cat or dog for feeding to the lions!

For a long time the Tower of London was used as a prison, and has held some very famous inmates: The first prisoner was the Bishop of Durham, Ranulf  Flambard, who in 1100 was found guilty of extortion. (He escaped from the White Tower by climbing down a rope, which had been smuggled into his cell in a wine casket).

Other high profile prisoners include:

John Balliol King of Scotland - after being forced to abdicate the crown of Scotland by Edward I he was imprisoned in the Tower from 1296 to 1299.

David II King of Scotland

John II King of France

Henry VI of England was imprisoned in the Tower, where he was murdered on 21 May 1471. 

Margaret of Anjou, consort of Henry VI.

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV of England.

Edward V of England and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, also known as the Princes in the Tower were imprisoned, and believed murdered. When Edward IV died, his brother Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, was made Regent until the older of his two sons, Edward V, should come of age. Popular legend states that Richard Duke of Gloucester ordered that Edward and his brother Richard be locked in the tower for their own protection, then, later, ordered their deaths. - Richard, it is said, hired men to kill the brothers, 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.

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-held prisoner.

Thomas More was imprisoned on 17 April 1535. He was executed on 6 July 1535 and his body was buried at the Tower of London.

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, imprisoned on 2 May 1536 on charges of adultery, treason, and incest.

The future Queen Elizabeth I, imprisoned for two months in 1554 for her alleged involvement in Wyatt's Rebellion.

Sir Walter Raleigh spent thirteen 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. While imprisoned, he wrote The History of the World.

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 at the tower. 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 that in turn broke his neck and killed him.

The Tower was also a place of torture and execution and many of the gruesome torture implements used are on display, such as the Scavenger's daughter, a kind of compression device, and the Rack. The executions, by beheading of high profile prisoners would take place within or near to the Tower, (criminal from the lower classes would be hung at public executions outside of the Tower).

Seven nobles, noted below, including five women 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.

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 Tower is described as 'the most haunted building in England'- the ghost of Queen Anne Boleyn is said to walk around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm.

Much more recently, 14 August 1941, the Tower was the place of execution by firing squad of German spy Josef Jakobs, and in 1942, Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, was imprisoned in the tower for four days, and the tower was used as a prison for German prisoners of war throughout World War II.

Visitors to the Tower should also set aside time to view the Crown Jewels, which have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303, after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey.

Following the coronation of Charles II, (1630 -1685, reigned, 1660 - 1685) the Jewels were 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. (The Jewels were temporarily removed from the Tower during World War II and reportedly were 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).

London is a fabulous city and has much, aside from historic palaces, to see and enjoy, however, the Tower of London is very special!!

 

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