London Tower - One Of The Oldest Buildings In The City

  London Tower - One Of The Oldest Buildings In The City

London Tower - One Of The Oldest Buildings In The City

 

Discover a piece of London’s history at one of the oldest buildings in the city. In almost 1,000 years since this impressive building was erected, the Tower of London was a royal residence, a prison and even a zoo. Today it is one of the most sought after touristic attractions and for good reason.

This historic castle located on the north bank of the Thames was built at the beginning of the 11th century. The first part to be erected was the White Tower, commissioned by William the Conqueror. This tower would later give the name of the entire building. Since then, several other building were added and today the Tower of London is actually a complex of edifices surrounded by a moat. Google

The Tower of London was used as a royal palace until the end of the 15th century. During the next two centuries, the palace was a prison. Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and then executed here, while Queen Mary I held her sister Elizabeth, who would later become Queen Elizabeth I. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the tower was restored and fortified several times, and during World War II, the building was once again used as a prison. After that, the Tower of London was mostly a museum. In fact, this is one of the oldest touristic attractions in the British capital. Since the 19th century, foreigners expressed great interest in this building, not only for its beautiful design but also of the fact that for most of this time, it housed the Crown Jewels since 1669.

Today visitors can explore the inside of the tower, including rooms restored to their former glory, particularly those where kings and queens used to stay. What is more, at least six ravens are always kept on the grounds of the palace at all times because of the popular belief that if the ravens are gone, the kingdom will fall.

One of the most popular parts of the tower is the Jewel House which has been storing the Crown Jewels for almost half a century. Here visitors can admire the amazing collections a piece used by many kings and queens. The most interesting pieces are the pure gold St. Edward Crown which is still used for the crowning of British royals, and the Imperial State Crown which is set with more than 2,800 diamonds and other precious stones.

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Another interesting exhibit is the Coins and Kings one. Since the Royal Mint was once housed on the grounds of the Tower of London, there is no wonder that an extensive collection of coins are featured in an impressive exhibit.

One of the most interesting traditions in London is the ceremonial closing of the gates at the Tower of London by famous Beefeaters. This 700 years old tradition also known as the Ceremony of the Keys features the Chief Warder presenting the keys to the tower to the Resident Governor. The ceremony begins every evening, at 9.40 pm.

In the end, after such a fascinating history lesson, a few moments of recollection by the river is all you’ll need. Make sure you take in the sights over the South Bank, but, most of all, take a good look at the impressive Tower Bridge. One of the most recognizable bridges in the world, Tower Bridge was built in 1894 and it’s over 200 feet tall.