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Let me start by saying this was the BEST part of this trip so far! I absolutely LOVED getting to see the Tower of London; it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list type of opportunity. I'm familiar with most of its history from its origins in the Norman Conquest to its function as a high-profile prison in the Tudor era, so being able to put images to stories was amazing. (And, quite frequently, due to the executions and murders that took place here, it was sad.) I rented an audio guide with different tours; after Hayley and I did the two-hour "Highlights" tour (which included the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, Anne Boleyn's execution site, and the history of the raven myth, to name a few), I did all of the other tours. In total, it was a six hour adventure for me. Words can't express just how much I loved every second of it—even when my phone died and I was tired and overheating, I was smiling, because I was just having such a great time! Thank you again to the London Bridge Rotary Club for sending me here and making this all possible!
After William the Conqueror invaded, he started building a castle at a site beyond these walls, one that would eventually become the Tower of London complex. Over the next few hundred years, the royal family added more layers of defense, including the walls you see here.
This is a view of Tower Bridge. Contrary to popular belief, this is not London Bridge, that's further down the River Thames. This bridge is the one that appears in every London movie setting to signify "this is London."
At the entrance to the Tower of London!
This is the White Tower, William the Conqueror’s original fortified tower, which was built in 1066. His descendant Henry III added another layer, and Henry’s son Edward I added yet another layer and a moat. So, if you'd been standing here in the 11th century, this was all you'd see.
Edward I added this section, St. Thomas’s Tower, as part of a new outer layer of defenses. The land below me is actually land he reclaimed from the River Thames. The rooms in the Tower were his new luxurious apartments, with gold in the bars. Later, Henry VIII refurbished this wing as part of his wedding gift to Anne Boleyn.
However, below the lavish apartments in St. Thomas's Tower is a moat infamously known as "Traitor's Gate," since for many prisoners at the Tower, coming through this gate was the last time they'd be seen alive.
This sculpture marks the spot where Queen Anne Boleyn was executed, on (likely false) charges of treason, incest, and adultery. Other monarchs executed here include her cousin, Queen Catherine Howard (who also married Henry VIII), her sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn, and the ill-fated Jane Grey, who was queen for only 9 days. The bottom plaque with the names has been here since 1861, when Queen Victoria visited the tower, heard the story of Anne Boleyn, and ordered a monument commissioned in her memory. The sculpture of a pillow was added in 2007.
No photography is allowed in the Crown Jewels exhibition, but this is where all of the current royal family's jewels are held, including a 500 carat diamond (taken from the 3000 carat Cullinan diamond). The stuff they have in here is incredible!
A picture of us with White Tower.
This site commemorates the tragic murder of the Princes of the Tower, presumed to have taken place here on the steps up to the White Tower, where a box with the bones of two young boys was found a few hundred years after the deposed sons of King Edward IV disappeared.
A suit of Henry VIII's armor.
The “H&K” on the base of the armor stands for Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, which is interesting considering that most historians depict their marriage as less than ideal.
The life of a knight started young—this boy's suit of armor belonged to King James I's popular son, Henry, Prince of Wales. (Henry died at only 18 years old and his brother Charles I inherited the throne.)
A wall of armor in the White Tower, which was repurposed by monarchs after William the Conqueror to be an armory rather than a castle.
This is a Norman garderobe (toilet). It was one of three built off the Great Chamber in White Tower, and waste fell into pits below it. Walls were later built below to hide the waste dropping from the Tower. At the time it was built, having a toilet inside the building was considered a luxury.
The Great Hall in the White Tower. This room has been here since the 1060's. I have to admit that the history nerd in me was screaming in joy that I was standing in this room, at the heart of the historic Tower of London.
William the Conqueror built this chapel in the White Tower to demonstrate his royal power and religious beliefs.
This is the White Tower's well, servicing people who lived here since 1100. It was drained in 2005, and they discovered cannonballs and a pair of boots in the well! I don't think this water was all that sanitary...
This is the inside of Wakefield Tower in the medieval palace, Henry III's new riverside residence for him and his queen. It features a replica throne on the left of the room and what appears to be a confessor's box on the right (not pictured). This is allegedly where Anne Boleyn was tried and condemned.
The interior of St. Thomas's Tower, an addition built by Edward I. He didn't stay here often because medieval kings were always on the move, but this tower is where he stayed when he was in the Tower of London.
This was King Edward I's bedchamber in St. Thomas's Tower. Beds this size were expensive so having one this big was a luxury.
Me on the battlements on the outer wall, with the White Tower in the background.
The entrance to Lanthorn Tower, part of the medieval palace.
This is an original 11th century crystal chess piece later used by Edward I's family.
This 13th century toy knight was used at the Tower by Edward I's children (since the Tower was a home for them as well as a fortress). Edward's children also had toy castles, a siege machine, and a toy cart.
The entrance to Salt Tower, built in 1240. It was later used in the religious conflicts of the Tudor era as a prison cell for high profile prisoners who suffered painful executions.
Examples of inscriptions left in Salt Tower by prisoners, including Henry Walpole, a Jesuit priest on a secret mission to England who was hung, drawn, and quartered. (It's one of the most gruesome deaths that can be inflicted on a person.)
This is Walter Raleigh's ground-floor study in "the Bloody Tower" (so called because it is assumed to be the site where the Princes in the Tower were killed). Though Raleigh was a prisoner, he was held together with his family (and even had a child while imprisoned) in a sort of house-like environment. He was allowed to have his own medicinal garden and a laboratory.
The stone grooves in the grass is where part of the original Roman wall in London stood (built in the Roman period, 43-410 AD).
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