My regular readers will know that I love history. I also love a well-researched novel about British royalty and the Tudor dynasty in particular – most famous for the 16th century’s Henry VIII of six wives fame and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. This meant that during our recent family trip to the land of my birth, I insisted on taking my granddaughters to the famous Tower of London and its fascinating and often violent and bloody history.
We began next door at Tower Bridge, which is 125 years old and the only central-city bridge across the River Thames east of London Bridge.
When it first opened it was the world’s largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed. ‘Bascule’ comes from the French word for ‘seesaw’ and is a specific type of drawbridge that uses counterweights. This means that its two halves open to let shipping through, and then close for pedestrian, horse and today car traffic.
Heading around the corner to the Tower of London itself, this famous royal fortress dates back a thousand years, and is located close to what is now called the ‘City of London’, the ceremonial county known as ‘the Square Mile’ in the middle of greater London, on the banks of the River Thames. Like many British fortifications, after William the Conqueror of France defeated the English in 1066 and became king, he began to build the tower. At that time it was located close to the vitally important ‘Pool of London’, the major port area before the construction of docks farther downstream in the 19th century. The central and oldest part of the Tower of London is known as the White Tower, which now has 13 other towers surrounding it including Bloody Tower, the Beauchamp Tower, and the Wakefield Tower.
This is surrounded by two circular walls and a moat which was drained in 1843. It covers about 18 acres.
The Tower of London was one of the primary royal residences until the 17th century, and until 1834 it also housed the Royal Menagerie, sometimes known as the Lion Tower. This housed a collection of exotic wild animals given as gifts to kings and queens, most never before seen in London including lions and a polar bear. When it closed, many Tower animals were moved to the Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park – which is today’s modern London Zoo.
In the Middle Ages the Tower of London became a prison and place of high profile executions for politically related crimes. Most captives were executed on Tower Green, located where the general public could witness the spectacle.
St Thomas’ Tower and Traitors’ Gate is at the waterside entrance to the Tower of London, and it is easy to imagine the dread political prisoners felt over the centuries as they were brought in shackles by boat through the gate expecting their own death or, for the luckier ones, a long period of incarceration. Famously, the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed here. A French sword, known for their sharpness, was used so that her beheading would be quick. She was accused of adultery, but it is more likely that old Henry wanted her out of the way so he could marry his third Queen who did manage to give him a son. Other notable people killed at the Tower include the conspirator Guy Fawkes early in the 17th century, Scottish Jacobite rebels in the 18th century, and several spies who faced a firing squad for treason as recently as the First World War. The Tower of London is also famous for the disappearance and probable murder of the teenage King Edward V and his young brother, probably at the hands of their uncle Richard, who then took the throne in the late 15th century.
In a charmingly English way, the military garrison at the Tower still wear traditional red and black Tudor uniforms known as yeoman warders or “beefeaters,” as they are popularly called. They live within the Tower, and their responsibilities include guiding tours for the Tower’s several million visitors every year. Black ravens with clipped wings also roam the grounds, looked after by the yeoman “Ravenmaster”, a tradition dating from the time of King Charles II who reigned from 1660–85. Legend has it that, should the ravens ever leave the Tower, the fortification and the monarchy itself would fall.
Since the1660s the British crown jewels have been protected at the Tower of London. Originally kept in the underground Jewel House, in 1994 they were moved into a more spacious aboveground facility and opened for visitors to view. This stunning and unique collection of sacred and ceremonial objects are the most precious treasures in Great Britain and include sacred Coronation Regalia. Comprising more than 100 objects and over 23,000 gemstones, the Crown Jewels are priceless with incalculable cultural, historical, and symbolic value. They are part of the Royal Collection, held in trust by the monarch for the nation.
There is a lot more information at www.history.com and www.Britannica. com I will leave you with a famous quote from the great British poet, playwright and philosopher Samuel Johnson (17091784): “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
God Bless America, and put the Tower of London on your list of places to visit!
Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@francis.com or via her full-service marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com.