Hotels near to the Tower of London
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The Tower of London dates to the 11th century when King William the Conqueror commanded a wooden fortress to be built between the River Thames and the Roman Wall. Following the completion of this fortress, William began work on a stone tower at its centre. Known today as the White Tower, it was unlike anything that had ever been seen. At ninety feet high with fifteen feet thick bases, the tower dwarfed medieval London's skyline and demonstrated to Londoners and visitors alike the wealth and prowess of this Norman king.
As centuries passed, succeeding monarchs continued fortifying the tower. In the 12th century, King Richard the Lionheart enclosed the White Tower with a protective curtain wall as well as moat filled with water from the Thames. Following King Richard's enhancements, his nephew Henry III improved and strengthened the tower complex to such an extent that he had turned it into a major royal residence covering 12 acres. By the 1300s, the Tower already appeared much as it does today.
In addition to serving as fort and royal residence, the Tower of London has through the years seen its share of famous prisoners. The illustrious 'guest' list includes Guy Fawkes, notoriously legendary for his participation in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. The equally infamous Kray brothers were among the last to be held as prisoners, when in 1952 they failed to report for national service. Perhaps most notable of the Tower's many 'guests' were two of King Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, which he had imprisoned and killed at the Tower. Both were executed for treason. In Boleyn's case, she was most likely innocent with the charge serving as a convenient excuse for Henry to remarry as she had not provided him with a son. However, Catherine Howard actually may have been guilty of treason. Another of Henry's wives, Jane Seymour, gave birth to Henry's only legitimate son, Prince Edward, but died soon after delivery.
Humans are the only important guests and residents of the Tower of London. During the reign of King John (1199-1216), a Royal Menagerie, was established and through its history featured an array of exotic animals. Among them were lions (most likely gifts to the monarchy from allies), lynxes and camels as well as three leopards received as a wedding gift to Henry III in 1235.
The lions would have been housed in the Tower's Royal Menagerie, or zoo, that was established by King John (1199-1216). Lions died out in Northern Europe more than 10,000 years ago so big cats were probably given to English monarchs as gifts from their allies. In the 1700s the Royal Menagerie was opened to the public. Admission was three half-pence or a cat or dog to be fed to the lions. It is thought that William Blake's famous poem, The Tyger was inspired by his visit to the menagerie. By the 1800s, the menagerie's animals had been moved to what is now the London Zoo. Today all that remains of the Royal Menagerie is the Tower's Lion Gate.
The most closely associated animal to Tower of London's is the raven. In fact, as legend goes, if the ravens living at the Tower of London should ever, the Tower - and indeed all of Britain - would fall to ruin. Ravens have lived within the Tower's complex since antiquity. Today there are seven with lodging next to the complex's Wakefield Tower. For safe measure, today's resident ravens have their wings clipped by a Raven Master. But with a diet of raw meat and bird formula biscuits soaked in blood, egg and occasional rabbit along with scraps from the Tower's kitchen, not one has yet to complain.
Visiting the Tower of London is a must for any London visitor. In fact, the Tower is London's top tourist attraction. Yeomen Warders, more popularly known as the Beefeaters, perform the role of ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London and are responsible for safeguarding the British crown jewels, which are kept (and on view) at the Tower of London. However, in practice the Beefeaters act as knowledgeable and friendly tour guides keen to have the Tower's rich history with its many visitors. For information about visiting the Tower of London, check its webpages at the official Historic Royal Palaces website, www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon.
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