The Tower of London

The White Tower, the square building with turrets on each corner that gave it its name, is actually in the middle of a complex of several buildings. The complex has served as a castle in wartime, a royal residence in peacetime, and most infamously as a prison and place of execution.

According to Shakespeare, in his play Richard III, the Tower of London was built by Julius Caesar. This supposed Roman origin is, however, just a myth. Its true foundation was in 1078 when William the Conqueror ordered the White Tower to be built. This was as much to protect the Normans from the people of the City of London as to protect London from outside invaders. William ordered the Tower to be built of stone which he had specially imported from France. He chose this location because he considered it to be a strategic point being opposite the site where Earl Godwin had landed in Southwark in 1051 during his Saxon rebellion against the Norman influence of Edward the Confessor. It was King Richard the Lionheart who had the moat dug around the surrounding wall and filled with water from the Thames. The moat was not very successful until Henry III employed a Dutch moat building technique. The moat was drained in 1830, and human bones were in the refuse found at its bottom.

The Tower today is principally a tourist attraction. Besides the buildings themselves, the British Crown Jewels, a fine amour collection from the Royal Armories, and a remnant of the wall of the Roman fortress are on display.

The tower is manned by the Yeomen Warders (known as Beefeaters), who act as tour guides, provide discreet security, and are something of a tourist attraction in their own right. Every evening, the warders participate in the Ceremony of the Keys, as the Tower is secured for the night.

In deference to an ancient legend, a number of ravens are fed at the Tower at government expense; so long as the ravens remain at the Tower (which is ensured by trimming the flight feathers of the ravens), Britain is safe from invasion. Legend also says that should the ravens leave the Tower of London, the White Tower will crumble and the Monarch will fall, thus, the ravens are the palladium of the realm. The names of the eight ravens currently in the tower are Gwylum, Thor, Hugine, Munin, Branwen, Bran, Gundulf, and Baldrick.

Having seen the Tower on a previous trip to London, I decided to forego the group tour of it and instead toured the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. For me, this was a good trade-off as both galleries are awesome and world-class. Unfortunately, neither allowed photography.