The Tower of London Area
Her Majesty's Tower of London is situated in East London on the boundaries of the boroughs of Stepney and the City of London.
Directly south, spanning the River Thames, lies the famous Tower Bridge. To the east of the Tower are the St Katherine's Docks.
The Tower of London dominates the river approaches to the City of London, and can be reached by Underground Tower Hill
Circle and District lines, or by buses 42 and 78.

Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a source of never-ending fascination to visitors. Many who come to the Tower of London often wait a long time to
see the roadway raised to allow an ocean-going ship to enter the Pool of London. Although the two bascules which carry the
roadway each weigh over 1,000 tons, they can be raised in under two minutes. The Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 by
the City of London Corporation to link the southeastern suburbs with the city and eastern London. It cost over a million pounds.
Nearby is Tower Pier, embarkation point for the river launches which take tourists on short trips to places of interest. The river
foreshore in front of the Tower of London, which is part of the Tower lands, is used as a pleasure beach by children. They have
the late Lord Wakefield to thank for this open air delight. In 1934, when he was Sir Charles Wakefield, he obtained King George
V's sanction for the foreshore to be converted to a playground by spreading hundreds of tons of sand on the gravel beach. It was
opened that year and has been popular ever since.

Beginnings and Structure
The Tower of London is the oldest palace, fortress and prison in Europe. The great fortress was created by William the
Conqueror. The site he chose was the same one on which Claudius, the Roman Emperor, had built a fort more than a thousand
years earlier; traces of the Roman wall can still be seen in the Tower. As king succeeded king the fortress was enlarged by
building walls and smaller towers around the central keep. Towards the end of the 12th century Richard I added to its might by
encircling it with a moat fed by the River Thames. The moat was drained in 1830 whereupon many human bones were found.
The Tower of London is roughly square in shape with two lines of defensive walls enclosing the great White Tower. At intervals on
the inner wall are thirteen smaller towers; this is the Inner Ward. The outer wall is defended by six towers on the river face, and
by two semi-circular bastions at the northeast and northwest corners.

Entering the Tower
Most visitors to the Tower will pass over Tower Hill. On the brow, within the railings of Trinity Square, once stood a permanent
scaffold. The Tower is entered at the foot of Tower Hill near where used to stand the Bulwark Gate. It was here that prisoners
were handed over to the Sheriff of London.

The Lion Tower
Here the royal menagerie was once housed. Henry I kept lions in the tower, hence its name. Henry II was sent 3 leopards by
Frederick III, and a white bear from the King of Norway, and later an elephant from Louis of France. James I is said to have
entertained his guests to a bear baiting display in the Bear Pit. In 1834 the menagerie was sent to Regents Park where it formed
the nucleus of the present London Zoo. The tower is no longer there, now serving as a restaurant for tourists.

The Middle Tower
A short causeway leads to the Middle Tower built in the late 13th century. The archway, together with those of the Byward Tower
and the Bloody Tower, were defended by portcullises, two of which remain.

The Byward Tower and the Outer Ward
The Byward Tower probably derives its name from by-the-ward, and gives access to the Outer Ward. It is here that the password
is still demanded by the sentry at night. The Byward Tower archway leads to the Outer Ward. Ahead is Water Lane once ten feet
lower than it is today. To the left is Mint Street. Here until 1810 stood the Royal Mint. Here too are the casemates where many
of the Yeoman Warders live, and at one time there was a tavern with a golden chain as its sign on the site of No 1 Casemate.
The Byward Tower was important as last stand in a series of defenses guarding the land entrance to the fortress. There were the
twin towers of the Middle Tower, the drawbridge (no longer there) in the middle of the causeway, and (within the Byward Tower)
one portcullis, the gates, and the second portcullis. Only one of the tower's paintings, made about 1400 of a crucifixion scene,
has survived the centuries. It is in a room not open to the public that lies above the gatehall and which contains the winding gear
for one of the portcullis.

The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower stands in the south-west corner of the Inner Ward. It was built in the 13th century and is so called because of
the belfry on top. In the past, when the bell was rung in alarm, drawbridges were raised, portcullises were dropped, and gates
shut. The bell is still rung in the evening to warn visitors on the wharf it is time to leave. Among the most famous prisoners
confined to the Bell Tower was Sir Thomas More imprisoned there in 1534. More, at one time close friends with Henry VIII,
refused to acknowledge the validity of the king's divorce from Queen Catherine of Aragon (thereby refusing to accept the Act of
Succession) and to acknowledge him as supreme head of the Church. Catherine, it should be noted, was the daugther of Isabella
and Ferdinand of Spain, known for financing the expeditions of Christopher Columbus. More was executed July 1535 and buried
in St Peters Chapel. Henry VIII's penchant for imprisoning family was not lost on his children apparently. This involved two of his daughters (by two different mothers), both of whom would one day rule. Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I, was also
imprisoned in the Bell Tower -- sent there in 1554 by her half-sister Mary I on suspicion of being concerned in plots against the
throne.

The Yeoman Warders
One of the most popular Tower attractions involves people: the Yeoman Warders to be exact. They were originally established in
1485 as King Henry VIII's bodyguard. They are perhaps best known for their gorgeous scarlet and gold dress uniforms which
date to 1552 and are worn on state occasions. They are usually seen at the Tower in the blue undress uniform granted to them
by Queen Victoria in 1858. The Yeomen Warders, also known as the beefeaters, are armed with a haberd or pike known as a
partisan. The Chief Warder carries a staff surmounted by a silver model of the White Tower, while his second-in-command, the
Yeoman Gaoler, possesses a ceremonial axe. According to The London Encyclopedia, the popular name beefeaters may have
been derived from their fondness for roast beef; however, it has also been suggested that it comes from the French buffetier.
Moreover, the term may originally have been derogatory, used by the lower classes in sneering at the "pampered guards" who
regularly ate beef, while they rarely had any.

St. Thomas's Tower and Traitors Gate
Further along Water Lane on the right is St Thomas's Tower standing above Traitors Gate. The tower was built by Henry III and
was named after Sir Thomas Becket who had been Constable in 1162. Traitors Gate was originally known as Water Gate, but
was later changed when it was used as the landing for the Crown's enemies. All important prisoners entered the Tower through
this gate. According to legend when Princess Elizabeth arrived on Palm Sunday 1554 she refused at first to land at the gate,
angrily proclaiming that she was no traitor. A sharp shower of rain however, caused her to change her mind. Later when as Queen
she visited the Tower she insisted on passing through Traitors Gate. "What was good enough for Elizabeth the Princess is good
enough for Elizabeth the Queen", she is supposed to have told the Constable

The Wakefield Tower
Opposite Traitors Gate is the Wakefield Tower built in the early 13th century. Here the Crown Jewels were housed from 1870
until 1967. The tower has 2 chambers, the ground floor acting as a guardroom to the postern which led to the royal apartments
above. These apartments were destroyed by Cromwell. The upper floor now contains a large and magnificent octagonal vaulted
chamber in which there is an oratory. Wakefield Tower was probably named after William de Wakefield, Kings Clerk and holder of
the custody of the Exchanges in 1334. In the 14th century the State records were transferred to the Wakefield Tower from the
White Tower, and in surveys of the period the building is referred to as the Records Tower. Henry VI died in the Wakefield Tower
on May 21st 1471. Henry VI, who was also founder of Eton College, and of Kings College, Cambridge, is supposed to have been
murdered on the orders of the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III

The Bloody Tower
Originally this was known as the Garden Tower for the constable's garden that was by it. The square-shaped structure at one
time served as a gateway to the Inner Ward. Its lowest level was built by Henry III and the other storeys were added later. It
gained its present name in the 16th century because of the murderous deeds which took place in its dark rooms. The most
notorious deed was the killing of the princes, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. This occurred in 1483
supposedly on the orders of the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III, but there are some who strongly oppose this view
and name Henry Tudor, later Henry VII as the culprit. The generally accepted version of the murder is that Elizabeth Woodville,
widow of Edward IV, was forced to allow her sons to live in the Tower, ostensibly to enable the 13-year-old king to prepare for
his coronation. Sir Robert Brackenbury was asked to take part in the murder but refused to help. Thereupon Sir James Tyrrell
was sent to the Tower with orders to force the Constable to surrender his keys for one night. Sir James agents found the two
boys asleep. One was suffocated with a pillow while the other boy was stabbed to death. The murderers carried the bodies down
the narrow stairway and buried them under a covering of rubble in the basement. They were later reburied by Sir Robert
Brackenbury close to the White Tower, but all knowledge of the graves was lost. In 1674 skeletons of two boys were unearthed
near the White Tower, and in the belief that the grave of the princes had been found the king ordered the bodies to be moved to
Westminster Abbey. Many other figures in history suffered imprisonment or death in the Bloody Tower. Archbishop Cranmer and
Bishops Ridley and Latimer who were condemned to death for heresy in 1555, were imprisoned in the Tower before being burned
at the stake at Oxford. Henry Percy died there in mysterious circumstances in 1585. The infamous Judge Jeffreys was prisoner
here as well. Sir Thomas Overbury, poet and courtier, was a victim of court intrigue. His food is supposed to have been poisoned,
and he is supposed to have swallowed enough poison to have killed 20 men before he died in 1613. Sir Walter Raleigh spent
most of his 13 years of imprisonment in the Bloody Tower, but he was able to perform many scientific experiments. He is
credited with having discovered a method of distilling fresh water from salt water. Also during his imprisonment he wrote his vast
History of the World which was published in 1614, four years before he was beheaded at Westminster.

The White Tower
The great central keep was built by William the Conqueror and finished by his sons and successors, William Rufus and Henry I.
It is 90 feet high and is of massive construction, the walls varying from 15 feet thickness at the base to almost 11 feet in the
upper parts. Above the battlements rise four turrets; three of them are square, but that on the northeast is circular. This turret
once contained the first royal observatory. The original single entrance was on the south side and it was reached by an external
staircase. There were no doors at ground level. The walls on the upper floors were penetrated by narrow slits positioned in wide
splays. On the southern side, four pairs of original double slits remain. In late 17th and early 18th centuries all others were
replaced by Sir Christopher Wren with the windows seen today. In the White Tower the medieval kings of England lived with their
families and their court. Here was the seat of government and here the laws of the land were made. The royal family lived in the
top storey; the council chamber was on the floor below. In this chamber in 1399 Richard II was forced to sign away his throne,
and in 1483 Richard III summarily sentenced Lord Hastings to death

Chapel of St. John the Evangelist
On the first floor of the White Tower is the exquisite Chapel of St John the Evangelist where the royal family and the court
worshipped and where the knights of the Order of the Bath spent their vigil the night before a coronation. It is one of the most
perfect specimens of Norman architecture in Great Britain. Roman influence can also be found in the White Tower's basement
where there is two-millennium-old well. The White Tower also contains one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the
world.

The Ravens and the Legend
There have always been ravens at the Tower of London, and some are usually seen strutting about Tower Green. They are
unfriendly and it is unwise to touch or feed them. Their wings are clipped so that they cannot fly away. A curious superstition
dating from the time of Charles II prophesises that when there are no longer ravens in the Tower both the White Tower and the
British Commonwealth will fall.

The Beauchamp Tower
Henry III and his son, Edward I, are to be attributed to the creation of the Beauchamp Tower. Henry III is responsible for many
of the towers and structures in the Tower of London, with eight wall towers built during the latter part of his reign. It was during
Edward's reconstruction of the western section that he replaced a twin-towered gatehouse built by Henry with the Beauchamp
Tower around 1275-81. Architecturally, the large amount of brick used, as opposed to solely that of stone, was innovative at its
time for castle construction. The tower takes its name from Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, imprisoned 1397-99 by
Richard II. The three-storey structure was used often for prisoners of high rank. Of special interest are the inscriptions carved
on the stone walls here by prisoners. The most elaborate is a memorial to the five brothers Dudley, one of whom was Lord
Guildford Dudley, husband of Lady Jane Grey. This unhappy pair were executed in 1554.

The Chapel Royal
The historic Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in Chains) is the oldest chapel royal in England. In this little chapel
most of those who died on Tower Hill and six of the seven executed on Tower Green, were laid to rest under flagstones without
ceremony.

Site of Block
Between the Chapel and Tower Green is a small paved area. A scaffold was erected here for the beheading of those whose public
execution on Tower Hill might have incited the people to riot. The names of the six tragic figures who died on this fateful spot are
inscribed on the board. They include three queens of England: Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey. Elizabeth
Ist supposed suitor, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex was also executed here.

The Queen's House
The Queens House was built about 1530, probably for Queen Anne Boleyn, but she lived there only as a prisoner for 18 days
awaiting her execution. The second queen of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, she was beheaded on Tower Green by a
French executioner for alleged infidelity; it is said she felt the French more skilled at the task of beheading. As a princess
interned at the Bell Tower, Elizabeth I was permitted to dine here. Despite the presence of these and future Queens, the building
was known until 1880 as the Lieutenant's Lodgings. It is a very fine example of half timbered Tudor architecture. Within a few
years of completion, a floor was inserted at second storey level in the lofty hall making what is known as the Council Chamber.
The chamber has a magnificent 16 century rafted ceiling and contains an elaborate tablet commemorating the Gunpowder Plot
erected in 1608 by the then Governor, Sir William Waad. In this room Guy Fawkes was interrogated and after torture on the rack
in the White Tower, signed a confession incriminating his fellow conspirators. Adjoining the Council Chamber is a room in which
William Penn, the famous Quaker who founded the state of Pennsylvania, was once a prisoner. And in modern times the
notorious Rudolph Hess, Nazi leader and German deserter during World War II, was imprisoned here.