Famous Landmarks #1:The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a 900-year-old castle and fortress in central London that is notable for housing the crown jewels and for holding many famous and infamous prisoners.
Throughout its history, the tower has served many purposes: it housed the royal mint (until the early 19th century), a menagerie (which left in 1835), a records office, an armory and barracks for troops. Until the 17th century, it was also used as a royal residence.

Imperial State Crown; on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.

HISTORY


William the Conqueror created the first fortifications after the conquest of London in A.D. 1066. The Norman invader lacked support among the people of the city and he feared its inhabitants could throw him out. William was quite a prolific castle-builder, as he established 36 castles  between 1066 and 1087.

The White Tower, the oldest part of the fortifications, dates drom the late 11 century

Throughout history, the Tower has been adapted and developed to defend and control the nation.
Among rulers who reinforced the castle the most notable are:  Henry III (1216-72) and Edward I (1272-1307), who expanded William’s fortress, adding huge ‘curtain’ (defensive) walls with a series of smaller towers, and enlarging the moat.
Kings and queens used the Tower in times of trouble to protect their possessions and themselves. Arms and armour were made, tested and stored here until the 1800s. The Tower also  controlled the supply of the nation’s money.  All coins of the realm were made at the Tower Mint from the reign of Edward I until 1810.

In the 16th century, the Tower acquired an enduring reputation as a grim, forbidding prison. . Contrary to the popular image of the Tower, prisoners were able to make their life easier by purchasing amenities such as better food or tapestries through the Lieutenant of the Tower. As holding prisoners was originally an incidental role of the Tower – as would have been the case for any castle – there was no purpose-built accommodation for prisoners until 1687 when a brick shed, a "Prison for Soldiers", was built to the north-west of the White Tower. The Tower's reputation for torture and imprisonment derives largely from 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century romanticists. Although much of the Tower's reputation is exaggerated, the 16th and 17th centuries marked the castle's zenith as a prison, with many religious and political undesirables locked away

FAMOUS PRISONERS

Throughout its history the tower was used to imprison a wide range of prisoners, from deposed monarchs to more common criminals. Prisoners included Lady Jane Grey, who was queen for about a week in the 16th century before she was deposed by Mary I.

Also imprisoned there were two princes, Edward and Richard, ages 12 and 9, who were the sons of Edward IV (died 1483). They appear never to have left the tower alive and some thought they were killed by Richard III, their uncle who took the throne for himself.

King Richard III, the murderous usurper, as portrayed in XVth century

Same guy, over 500 years later

Two of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, were both imprisoned and later executed.

Anne Boleyn...

...and Katherine Howard

Another notable prisoner was Guy Fawkes, who in 1605 attempted to blow up the House of Lords and the monarch by detonating gunpowder in the cellars below. He was imprisoned in the tower and tortured.

Guy Fawkes. Really, that's how he looked like.

In the late 18th and 19th centuries, the tower was used less commonly for prisoners. The last prisoner of note to spend time in the tower was Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy, who fled to Scotland in 1941 and was sent to the tower briefly until he was transferred.

Part of a plane Hess crashed when fleeing to Scotland. Not much to do with The Tower but a cool picture nontheless.

BEEFEATERS

The famous Yeomen Warders, also know as "beefeaters", recognised as symbols of the Tower all over the world, have been here for centuries. They were originally part of the Yeomen of the Guard, the monarch’s personal bodyguard who travelled with him.

Today the Yeomen Warders guard the visitors, but still carry out ceremonial duties, such as unlocking and locking the Tower every day in the Ceremony of the Keys.
They wear their red state ‘dress uniforms’ for important occasions at the Tower, and also for special events such as the firing of the huge cannon on the Wharf, known as the Gun Salutes.

THE RAVENS

One of the most famous legends of the Tower surrounds the ravens.  The story goes that should the ravens leave the Tower, both it and the kingdom will fall.

Seven ravens live at the Tower today and are cared for by a dedicated Yeoman Warder known as the Ravenmaster.

 In 2013, an urban fox killed two of the Tower of London ravens. They were immediately replaced.

But the ravens are not the only animals to ever inhabit The Tower. Historical records and archeological digs at the site show that thorughout the centuries many different creatures were kept there. These include: leopards, lions, jackals, hyenas, eagles, owls, a grizzly bear and a polar bear, a tiger, wolves, baboons and other types of monkeys, and an elephant.

By the 18th century, the menagerie was open to the public; admission cost three half-pence or the supply of a cat or dog to be fed to the lions. By the end of the century, that had increased to 9 pence. After the death of George IV in 1830, a decision was made to close down the Menagerie. In 1831, most of the stock was moved to the London Zoo which had opened in 1828. The last of the animals left in 1835, relocated to Regent's Park.

The Tower of London from The Shard. The River Thames is to the south.

Although now mostly a tourist attraction, Tower of London has got a very interesting history and it's much more than people usually think it is. But now you know the history of this place. Now go and spread the word.