The Tower of London

The Tower of London

The White Tower, the main tower of the Tower of London

The Tower of London was begun in 1078 by William the Conqueror, with the building of the White Tower - the first stone keep in England. In the early thirteenth century Henry III founded a palace here, and although no monarch has lived in it since Henry VII, the Tower remains a Royal Palace.

At various times it has been home to the Astronomer Royal, the Public Records Office, the Royal Menagerie and the Royal Armory. It also, famously, houses the Crown Jewels. The tower's main claim to fame, however, is its bloody history, gained through having been a prison and a place of torture and execution.

In the thirteenth century Edward I built Beauchamp Tower, and it became a prison for high-ranking convicts and it is moving to see the many inscriptions that are carved into the walls. Prisoners entering the Tower through Traitors' Gate, arriving by boat along the Thames, would immediately have seen the Bloody Tower, so called because in 1483, after the death of Edward IV, his two young sons were incarcerated here by their uncle, Richard of Gloucester. They were never seen again, and Richard of Gloucester was crowned Richard III. It has always been assumed, but never proven, that he had them murdered. Most executions took place in front of a screaming mob at Tower Hill, but Tower Green say the deaths of seven major historical figures, including two of Henry VIII's wives.

Yeoman Warders in Tudor costume, known as Beefeaters, guard the tower, as they have done since 1485. One, the Ravenmaster, is responsible for the Tower ravens. Legend has it that if the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall - so their wings are clipped!

The nearest tube station at The Tower of London is at the Tower Hill.