ABOUT TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower of London is one of London's most famous landmarks and one of Britain's, if not the world's, most remarkable and historical buildings. The history of imprisonment, royalty, treason, gore, torture, blood and death are just some of the fascinating reasons why this perfectly preserved medieval fortress attracts thousands of people a day to its gates.
Built as a watchtower under the guidance of William the Conqueror between 1066-1067, ¨The Royal Fortress on the Thames¨ had developed into a palace/fortress by 1100 - and most of what you see today was in place by 1307.
The history of the Tower dates back almost one thousand years and apart from being famous as a place of imprisonment and the execution site of three English Queens, it has been used as a royal residence, mint, Armoury, a Royal Menagerie, observatory and it houses the ever so precious Crown Jewels, located in the Jewel House which you glide past on a moving floor.
Other towers within the grounds include the Bell Tower, whose bell would ring to announce an execution, and the Bloody Tower where Edward IV's two sons were kept "for their own safety" after the death of their father in 1483. Edward V aged 12 and Richard aged 10 were later murdered and buried naked at the foot of the White Tower, the original and main tower.
In 1235, a Royal Menagerie began with 3 leopards, expanding over the years to include an elephant, lions, polar bears, an orangutan, eagles, owls, a jackal and the infamous black, and hostile, ravens. The wing-clipped ravens are the only animals that remain within the Tower's walls and legend has it that if the ravens fall the Tower goes with them. Other areas of fascination are Traitor's Gate - the waterfront prisoner delivery passage, and Tower Green - the grassy area containing the chopping block for the private executions of notables and Royalty.
There is so much to see and you can feel free to guide yourself around with a £3 audio-guide, however the best way to explore and to learn about all the myths, legends and delightfully gory details is to take a free one hour tour with one of the Beefeater tour guides who have plenty of bloody stories to share.
Access the Tower via Tower Hill tube station, Fenchurch Street or London Bridge railway stations, the Docklands Light Railway or buses will drop you near by. It sits adjacent to Tower Bridge and there is signage directing you along the way.
The stories behind the gates of the Tower are gruesomely fabulous and one visit is definitely not enough. You should allow a minimum of 3 hours visiting.
Opening hours for the Tower of London are as follows: March - October, Tuesday to Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday & Monday 10am-6pm and from November - February, Tuesday to Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday & Monday 10am-5pm. Avoid long queues by purchasing your tickets in advance by booking online, calling +44 (0) 870 756 7070 or, purchase tickets in person at the Tower ticket office or from any London underground station. Tickets are valid for 7 days from date selected.
For more information on the Tower of London and for buying tickets online, head to the Historic Royal Palaces' website www.hrp.org.uk
For more information about this area of London check out our London EC3 pages
- The Tower of London in its near one thousand year history has been a prison, an execution place, a palace, the royal armoury, the mint and the public records office.
- Beefeaters have been at the Tower since the 14th century
- Ravens have been living at the Tower since the 17th century
- The Crown Jewels have been guarded at the Tower of London since the 14th century
- The Tower of London built to protect the kings and queens in case of attack but they did not live there.
The Tower of London is easily accessible from most areas of Central London. The undergound station at Tower Hill is located 300 metres from the Tower of London and is in Zone 1. Simply exit the Station and walk right through the pedestrian subway.
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