(London, UK)
While in London, we were able to visit the Tower of London with the entire family. The concierge at my parent’s hotel got a good deal for the tickets and one morning we all jumped on the Tube and headed for Tower Hill.
The Tower of London is named after the White Tower, which was built in the 11th century and is still the center and keep of the castle. Renovations and expansions over the years have modified many parts of the castle and grounds, but the general layout has not much changed since the late 13th century. The site has been the royal residence, a prison, and now mainly functions as a tourist attraction while holding UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
We joined a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour when we first arrived. His stories were great and we were quite entertained while being educated about the history of the Tower. Besides all the historic tidbits, one of the most interesting things I learned is that all the Yeoman Warders and their families live within the fortress walls.
The tour ends at the Church of St. Peter (no photos permitted), which is a small chapel within the castle walls. It is a Royal Chapel and the burial place of many notable individuals. Some of these include former queens (including Anne Boleyn), Tower Constables, ministers, and others valued highly by the Crown. At the same time, many people were unceremoniously buried under the floor – the story we were told is that executed nobles and other high-status individuals were buried under the floor stones after their death with no marker. An execution was enough to disgrace the person, but not enough for them to be buried with commoners. Hundreds of sets of remains were dug up during renovation work and many were identified and are now memorialized on a wall plaque. Some executions had taken place on the castle grounds with the most common method being death by beheading. The guide mentioned some macabre stories of executions including one story where the executioner’s sword was not very sharp and the first swing didn’t got completely through the neck, causing the executionee to run around fleeing in panic.
Within the White Tower is a display of armor and weaponry. Notably is the “Line of Kings” which once served to visually display the monarchs throughout history and their armor. Today they claim that much of the armor was made around the same time for the purpose of the display. It is hinted that this was done as a form of propaganda and today’s display more accurately describes each item (you can decide if it’s just more modern propaganda). The displays are still great, and being inside the castle is an awesome experience.
The castle was once also the home to the Royal Menagerie, with many exotic animals from around the world which were often received as gifts. By the 1700s locals could visit the animals for a small fee and the menagerie acted similarly to our modern zoos. All the beasts were transferred to the London Zoo in the 1830s. There is a small display with information about the animals, but this was one of the least informational areas.
The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are held in a building here which you can also tour. No photos of the Jewels are permitted, unfortunately. Some of the largest gems known in the world can be found mounted in various crowns, scepters, and other regalia. These are truly impressive. This is the second set of Crown Jewels we’ve seen displayed. In all honesty, Sasha and I both preferred the display of the Danish Crown Regalia and collection at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. Nevertheless, the presentation at the Tower of London is definitely worth your time. To see the Cullinan and Koh-i-Noor diamonds in person is extraordinary.
There are a few other museums and displays to visit, but we didn’t make it to all of them. We wanted to go to the “Torture at the Tower” exhibit, but it was unfortunately closed for maintenance.
After our visit to the Tower, we walked across the Thames via Tower Bridge to find lunch. Tower Bridge is also pretty impressive and it appears that there are tours of the inside of the towers. We saw people walking across the upper walkways (which have glass floors so you can look down to the traffic and river below).
We love visiting castles and had a great time at the Tower of London. It was especially nice to be able to spend time with the whole family.
Also, huge thanks to my dad and stepmom for letting us post some of their photos.
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