The Tower of London

The Tower of London was built as a royal palace and fortress. The name “Tower” comes from the original central White Tower, built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It was intended to protect the Norman’s from both locals as well as future invaders, built in stone brought in from Caen in France, a popular Norman building material. In the 12th century, King Richard the Lionhart enclosed the Norman Tower with a wall and moat. The tower was later whitewashed and this is how it derived its name. Various other towers have been added to the complex over the centuries, including Beauchamp Tower, Bell Tower and Bloody Tower.

One of the Tower’s greatest mysteries surrounds the disappearance of two young princes. They were put in the tower by their uncle after the death of their father, Edward IV in 1483. The princes disapeared from the Garden Tower, rumoured to be murdered. 200 years later, the skeletons of 2 young children were discovered nearby.

Although the Tower's primary function was a fortress and royal palace, it became a place of fear to those who had committed treason or threatened the throne, as it also served as a prison and a place of execution and torture. Some famous tower prisioners included King Henry VI, who was imprisioned and then later murdered in 1471, Queen Elizabeth I, who was held for 2 months in 1554 and Guy Fawkes, for his part in the gun powder plot. The last state person to be held in the tower was Rudolf Hess, deputy leader of the Nazi party in May 1941.

Inside the torture chambers of the Tower, various implements of torture were used; such as the Scavenger’s Daughter, a compression device that forced blood out your nose and ears, and the Duke of Exeter's Daughter, which was a rack where you were stretched. Criminals were usually executed by hanging at one of the public execution sites outside the Tower, such as Tower Hill, where crowds could gather to watch. 7 nobles, 5 of whom were ladies, were beheaded privately on Tower Green inside the walls including Anne Boleyn in 1536.

Traitors Gate

The Tower of London has been  home to a colony of Ravens for centuries. A legend says that if the ravens ever leave, the White Tower, the Monarchy, and the entire Kingdom will fall. The 8 ravens that currently live in the Tower have had their wings clipped to make sure that this never happens!

However, this arrangement ended after Colonel Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels by binding and gagging the custodian. Again, the jewels were recovered and a special Jewel House was then built and defended by the famous Yeoman Warders. These armed guards were formed in 1485 and are knicknamed “Beefeaters” after their special position as the King’s bodyguard, which allowed them to eat beef from the Kings’ table. They still guard the tower to this day, in their smart Tudor uniforms.