HIGHLIGHTS OF A VISIT TO THE TOWER OF LONDON
he Tower of London is often the main feature of a trip to London, with its 1000 year history, its gruesome and bloody past, the Crown Jewels, the Ravens and the Yeomen Warders in their smart red uniforms - it is the most visited tourist attraction in the UK for a reason. There is so much to see here across 12 acres and 21 towers, more than many people can manage in a single visit, so here we highlight the best parts which you really should not miss.
The Tower of London is in central London right next to Tower Bridge on the River Thames, another one of the most iconic sights in the capital. Although called The Tower of London, it is actually 21 towers all around the keep, known as the White Tower, in the centre. Built by William the Conqueror, who wanted to show his strength and power to the newly conquered English, it was a fort intended to provide full defence against possible reprisals by the subjugated Anglo-Saxons. It served as a Royal residence for many centuries, as well as a prison, armoury, treasury and more besides.
With walls 6 foot deep and surrounded by two defensive walls and a moat, it has never been breached in its 1000 year history, although rioters were accidentally admitted in 1381, with tragic consequences. Although the Tower is renowned for its prisoners and executions, most of them were not executed within the Tower but on nearby Tower Hill instead. Traitor's Gate and imprisonment in the Tower live on in public memory however, and its gruesome past is part of its attraction.
A single ticket gives you entry to all of the towers and exhibitions, including the Crown Jewels. There are some areas which are off limits, mainly the private homes of the soldiers who guard the Tower and who live there with their families. Everywhere else is open to the public though and you can wander where you wish, spending as much time as you want at the parts that interest you the most.
Here we list some of the highlights of a visit to the Tower, but do your research before you go as there may be others that interest you more. Allow a good three hours to go round and bear in mind that your feet are likely to tire quickly, so prioritise what you want rather than trying to see everything.
The White Tower
The central keep of the tower of London was built in the 1080s and is the most heavily defended part of the castle. This is where the Kings lived until about the early 14th century, and where several were imprisoned.
The wooden staircase outside is to allow visitors to enter the building the way it would have originally been used - in times of warfare the wooden staircase was removed to make it harder for the attackers to enter the building.
The White Tower should be on any visitor's list as it is the focal point of a visit here and has some amazing history within its walls.
The White Tower - The Line of Kings
The Line of Kings was one of the earliest museum exhibits, created in the 17th century by Charles II to promote the newly restored monarchy and to validate his succession to the throne. The display of wooden figures wearing previous Kings' armour and sitting astride armoured wooden horses has changed a little over the years, but it still has the same draw it did for visitors 350 years ago.
The suits of armour on display once belonged to royalty such as Henry VIII, Charles I and George II. It is quite an astonishing and impressive display, against a backdrop of scores of shining armoured chest plates and seemed to draw gasps of astonishment from visitors as we rounded the corner and saw them all for the first time.
The White Tower - The Chapel of St. John
This was one of my favourite parts of the visit, as I found the chapel to be so simple and yet so awe inspiring. It is early Norman, being built for William the Conqueror who died before it was completed and it remains unembellished and unadorned, making it even more striking.
Royalty have worshipped in here for 900 years, some have been married here, others have lain in state after death. It was also in here that four dignitaries from the reign of Richard II hid during the Peasants Revolt of 1381 - they were found behind the altar and dragged to Tower Hill, where they were executed and their heads put on display.
It is a beautiful place of simplicity, peace and sunlight and is something very special indeed.
The White Tower - The Armoury
The Royal Armoury began life as the arsenal where weaponry was made and stored for the defence of the realm. It has been open to visitors for centuries, with the earliest recorded visit back in 1498; by 1660 people were paying to get in to see the marvels of the power and might of the monarchy.
There are several rooms in the armoury section with some fascinating displays. One display has highly ornamented guns, with a jewelled pistol covered in 1,517 diamonds, a gold Tiffany revolver and a jewelled .357 magnum covered in red gold, red enamel and diamonds. There is also a gold plated sub-machine gun with a smart leather case. None of these were made for the Royal Family, but have been made by craftsmen, or handed in during gun amnesty schemes, their original owners and purposes unknown.
There is a room dedicated to hands on kids activities where they can have a go at using some of the equipment, with cannons you can fire and bow and arrows to use (all very safe).
The room was packed with kids all trying their hand at something and was clearly very popular - my son and I enjoyed firing a cannon and creating a huge (simulated) explosion.
The Armoury also contains some of the tools of the executioner. A block and axe used for beheadings is on display - an oak block with carved cut outs for the neck and head and a heavy axe, both last used in 1747. A metal Executioners' Mask also on display must have been a terrifying last sight for many. There is a fragment from the scaffold on Tower Hill, last used in 1780 for the execution of three people who took part in the Gordon Riots, and the chair where the last person executed in the Tower was shot.
Josef Jakobs was a German spy who hurt his ankle when he parachuted into England and was found and arrested. Found guilty of espionage by a court martial, he was shot by a firing squad in the grounds of the Tower of London, sitting in the simple brown Windsor chair you see on display.
The White Tower - The Princes in the Tower
Nearly everyone knows the story about the Princes in the Tower - the two sons of King Edward IV, aged 12 and 9, who were put into the tower after his death for 'safekeeping' until the eldest could be crowned king.
They were declared illegitimate, their uncle was crowned Richard III and they were never seen again. It is widely believed that he had them killed.
Some 200 years later, workmen discovered the skeletal remains of two boys in a wooden box underneath the staircase of the chapel in the White Tower, and although there is no concrete evidence that it was them, it is still a possibility.
You can walk past the place where the box was found, with a plaque saying that it is the tradition of the tower to say that it was they who were found here.
Only the Queen can authorise DNA testing of the remains, which are now in Westminster Abbey; something she has declined to do.
The Crown Jewels
These are very much a highlight of a visit to the Tower and really shouldn't be missed.
Queues can get quite lengthy, unless you go at the end of the day after 4pm, when they will be greatly reduced. Even if the queue is long, it tends to move quickly, as people only spend about 10 -15 minutes in there.
You walk through some incredibly thick vault doors and then get on to a slow moving walkway, which takes you past the crowns and jewels. The walkway is a great idea, as it means everyone gets a chance to see them close up without other people getting in your way, and if you want to see them again, you can take a moving walkway back past them, and then back again. Photography is not allowed in the vault, so you don't have to put up with people shoving their phones in front of your face either.
Thanks to clever lighting, the crowns and jewels glisten in a way you can only imagine. You can see every cut of the diamonds, every facet of every jewel and the colours are remarkable.