The Tower of London
Even if you don't have an interest in English culture, history or Monarchy, the Tower of London, situated on the north bank of the river Thames near Tower bridge, is still one of the must visit London Attractions.
The Tower of London (or "The Tower" as it is often called), is actually a complex of a number of buildings encircled by two separate stone walls and surrounded by a moat (now thankfully filled in). It has at one point in history served as a Fortress, a Royal Palace and a Prison. It is manned by the iconic Beefeaters or Yeoman Wardens in their distinctive black and red costumes.
You can reach the Tower of London from Tower Hill tube station and by crossing the river Thames and along Tower wharf walkway. Tower wharf is a great position for some good photo opportunities of the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The River Thames and HMS Belfast.
The origins of the Tower of London begin when construction on the White Tower ( the oldest structure on the site) was started by William the Conqueror in 1078. The original purpose of the Tower was to protect the City of London against outside attack or Invasion on one of the main routes into the city. King Richard the Lionheart, in the 12 th Century then enclosed the Tower within a "curtain wall" (this is now the inner wall) and had begun to dig a moat around this wall to improve its defensive position. King Henry III in the 13th century completed the work on the moat and added additional buildings inside the wall to form a royal residence. King Edward I added the second outer wall between 1275 and 1285 and filled in the original moat and dug a new moat around the outer wall.
This massive outer wall contains 13 individual Towers, one of which is the famous "Bloody tower" so called after the murder of the 2 young sons of King Edward IV held prisoner at the tower (the princes in the tower) under the orders of Edward's brother, Richard, The duke of Gloucester who was caretaking the throne until the boys came of age. The Tower was also used as an official prison for people of nobility and high rank including various Kings, Princes, Bishops and Priests. Executions of prisoners (usually hangings or beheadings) were also held just outside the Tower over on Tower Hill.
One of the lees gruesome functions of the Tower was to hold all the various exotic animals collected by the Kings. As early as the 13th Century, records detail the tower containing Lions, Leopards , Lynxes and Camels. A lion skull contained in the Tower was carbon dated to between 1280 and 1380 making it the earliest record of a medieval big cat in Britain. This Menagerie was later opened to the public who could either pay to get in to see the animals or supply digs and cats for feeding to the Lions! The menagerie was later closed and the animals all moved over to the newly opened London Zoo in 1835.
The only animals currently held at the Tower of London are the famous Ravens, which have been in residence at the Tower for Hundreds of years. Legend has it that if the Ravens were ever to leave the tower that the Tower itself would fall and Kingdom and the monarchy would be lost.
Lastly, the Tower of London is famous for being the home of the Crown Jewels, these are held unsurprisingly in the Jewel House and are under constant supervision having been stolen several times in their long history. The Jewels are only removed for maintenance and for use in certain state occasions.
As you can see, even if you don't have an interest in English culture, history or Monarchy, the Tower of London , is still one of the must visit London Attractions.
