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The Tower of London
The original structure was completed by adding a ditch and palisade along the north and west sides. The castle has been constantly improved and extended by adding other smaller towers, extra buildings, walls and walkways. It now represents a splendid example of a castle, fortress, prison, palace and museum. The Yeoman Warders, sometimes called Beefeaters, can be
seen all over the Tower grounds. Speaking of color, the Tower of London is resplendent
with stained glass windows in each of the small round towers along the
outer wall. The lighting effects in these small rooms is incredible,
photographs don't do them justice. Tours are greatly enhanced by the demonstrations of
medieval life in almost every area of the Tower grounds. The players
are always available to explain what you are seeing and add historical
perspective to the scene. The Queen's house located in the Southwest corner of the
Tower grounds was where distinguished prisoners, including Anne Boleyn,
were held prior to execution on the Tower Green. The buildings in the area now accommodate officials for the Tower of London. There is a re-creation of the beheading block on the
North edge of the Tower Green. Of course Mary Jo was more than happy to tour the Jewel
House on the Tower Grounds. She found a number of things she would
love to add to here collection, like the Star of India!
The Jewel House is a museum containing many of the Crown Jewels. You won't see any pictures in this site, since they are copyrighted by the Crown. There is a gift shop next to the Jewel House where you can view re-creations of the Jewels, buy photographs and books on the the subject along with the normal stuff you expect in any British gift shop. The Tower of London is a wonderful way to spend a day or
more if you have the time. Soothing to the Soul! The entire area around the Tower of London is surrounded
by walk ways. You can spend many enjoyable hours looking over the
Tower or the wonderful scenery around it.
If you would like to know more about the Tower of London, and who wouldn't, please visit the Tower of London Website.
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The
Tower of London is one of the most famous historical buildings in the
world. The Tower founder William I of England, better known as William the
Conqueror, had the Great Tower now referred to as the White Tower built.
William the Conqueror destroyed Harold II, in 1066 and began building his
castle on the river Thames in London.
The
first structure was a simple timber and earth enclosure joined to the
original east and south stone walls of the old Roman town of Londinium.
They
were originally guards for the Tower and more importantly the prisoners in
the Tower. Today they are available for picture opportunities or to
provide a little history and local color.
We suspected the stained glass was a late addition to the Tower, since
many of the openings (windows), in this castle as well as others were just
open with no glass at all.
Of
course the costumes are beautifully made and many of the rooms contain
original or re-creations of period furnishings, adding to the effect.
The
last prisoner held in the structure was Rudolf Hess, the Deputy Fuhrer of
Nazi Germany. He was held there for a few days in May of 1941.
This was a convenient place for the Kings of England to perform their
version of a divorce. Several women tourists
placed their head on the block for photographs by their husbands.
For some reason Mary Jo refused to do that?
Beside
the history and wonderful stories abounding in the Tower, the architecture
and views all around the Tower make it a lovely visual experience.
And
we did our share of walking around as well as spending money in the
Crown's shops.