No visit to England is complete without a visit to the Tower of London. The home of the Beefeaters and the crown jewels
Founded nearly one thousand years ago, The Tower of London has been expanded upon over the centuries by many a king and queen, with the first foundations being laid in 1078.
The Tower began its life as a simple timber and stone enclosure. Which then received a structure of stone, called The Great Tower and eventually The White Tower, as we know it today?
The White Tower formed the basis of a residential palace and fortress suited for a king or queen and has been used as a fortress to protect a prison, used to imprison (for many an accused, it was the last sight they saw on earth), as a royal mint and treasury.
Since the 14th century, The Tower of London has been guarded by the Yeoman Warders or Beefeaters. They were established in 1485 as King Henry VII's bodyguard and are best known for their scarlet and gold dress uniforms which date to 1552. The uniform consists of a knee-length scarlet tunic, scarlet knee-breeches and stockings, and a round brimmed hat called a Tudor bonnet. Queen Elizabeth I introduced the distinctive white neck ruff worn by the Beefeaters.
Today, The Tower houses the Crown Jewels and is keeper to the Royal Ravens. These ravens have had their wings clipped due to the superstition dating back from time of Charles II that states, ‘when there are no longer ravens in the Tower both the White Tower and the Commonwealth of England would fall’.
Stories of innumerable prisoners suffering in deep dungeons and torture chambers are exaggerated. The Bloody Tower, so-called because it is believed the two princely sons of Edward IV were murdered here, was home for thirteen years to famous explorer Sir Walter Ralegh. During this time, Ralegh wrote 'The History of the World' and several naval treatises.
Other Famous prisoners residing in The Tower of London include Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey (who was queen for just nine days), Guy Fawkes, brought here to be interrogated over his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot and Rudolf Hess, imprisoned in The Tower of London between 1941 and 45.
The tower is home to several ghosts who have been victims of murder or who had been beheaded. Many of these ghosts can be seen haunting the hallways and passages of the Tower and walking through walls. The most famous of these ghosts is Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. Another popular ghost is Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife, who was accused of having several lovers and was beheaded by Henry (along with her partners in crime).
Other ghosts that have been seen are two small boys walking hand-in-hand. It is presumed that they were the ghosts of the Crown Princes, nine and twelve, who were taken to the tower for their protection and were never seen again. A few years later, two tiny skeletons were discovered in a chest hidden beneath the stairway of the White Tower.
Throughout its long and colourful history the Tower has been the sight of murders, marriages, uproars, museums, and zoos. But The Tower of London will always be remembered as a "symbol of royal power, a fortress for the monarch, and a prison for the monarch's enemies". (Fisher, 1987)
