•London Travel Holiday•
•Things To See And Do On Your London Travel Holiday•
A Visit To The Tower of London
One of the most historical places in London, the Tower of London, has stood on its spot for over 900 years and is filled with the history of London. In the beginning, it was a fort built by William the Conqueror who erected the first tower about the year 1100 A.D. where it was the tallest building in all of London. In the 13th century it was whitewashed by Henry III and then called the White Tower, a name which still stands to this day.
Once a prison used by Henry VII among others, it is now a repository for the extensive invaluable collection of crown jewels. In addition, the stone complex which sits on the river Thames has also been used to house public records, the Royal mint, the Royal menagerie which started the London zoo and also as an observatory.
Guarded by the Yeoman warders who were appointed by Henry VII in 1485, these guardians, who you might know by the name of Beefeaters, are easily recognized by their red costumes.
Inside the Tower of London is a spiral staircase that is the only way to get upstairs. On the upper level you will find the Royal armories which is Britain's Museum of armor and arms and includes 40,000 pieces. This is actually Britain's oldest public museum which began displaying during the reign of Charles II.
Over the years many parts have been added to the original fort and today you will find the Byward Tower, the Middle Tower, the Garden or Bloody Tower and across the moat what is called Traitors Gate. The moat today, is empty of water because it was drained in 1843 when the last tower was built.
When it was used as a prison, the Tower of London house much royalty including Henry VIII second wife Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and the famous little princes who were allegedly victims of Richard III. When you tour the Tower you will see that their stay was probably not very pleasant as evidenced by the torture devices and racks as well as bloodstained stones.
While the prison tour can be very interesting for some, if you're more interested in glitz and glamour than you want to head over to the Jewel House on Waterloo Block to get a gander at the famous Crown Jewels. Here you will see one of the most famous collections of jewels which includes necklaces, crowns, ruby and emerald studded collars, jeweled scabbards and other jewel studded adornments used by royalty. Some of the famous jewels housed here include the Kohinoor which is over 200 carats and the Cullinan II which is set in the crown that Queen Victoria used for her coronation in 1838.
However, perhaps the most interesting piece in the collection is the star of Africa which is a gigantic diamond of 530 carats which was cut from the Cullinan diamond that was originally over 3000 carats and extracted in the early 20th century from a South African mine.
If you do visit the Tower of London, you probably want to plan it for later in the day so that you can stay after closing to view the ceremony of the keys which has been performed every day for the past 700 years. This icon of tradition can be seen between 9:30 and 10:00 every night.
Once a prison used by Henry VII among others, it is now a repository for the extensive invaluable collection of crown jewels. In addition, the stone complex which sits on the river Thames has also been used to house public records, the Royal mint, the Royal menagerie which started the London zoo and also as an observatory.
Guarded by the Yeoman warders who were appointed by Henry VII in 1485, these guardians, who you might know by the name of Beefeaters, are easily recognized by their red costumes.
Inside the Tower of London is a spiral staircase that is the only way to get upstairs. On the upper level you will find the Royal armories which is Britain's Museum of armor and arms and includes 40,000 pieces. This is actually Britain's oldest public museum which began displaying during the reign of Charles II.
Over the years many parts have been added to the original fort and today you will find the Byward Tower, the Middle Tower, the Garden or Bloody Tower and across the moat what is called Traitors Gate. The moat today, is empty of water because it was drained in 1843 when the last tower was built.
When it was used as a prison, the Tower of London house much royalty including Henry VIII second wife Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and the famous little princes who were allegedly victims of Richard III. When you tour the Tower you will see that their stay was probably not very pleasant as evidenced by the torture devices and racks as well as bloodstained stones.
While the prison tour can be very interesting for some, if you're more interested in glitz and glamour than you want to head over to the Jewel House on Waterloo Block to get a gander at the famous Crown Jewels. Here you will see one of the most famous collections of jewels which includes necklaces, crowns, ruby and emerald studded collars, jeweled scabbards and other jewel studded adornments used by royalty. Some of the famous jewels housed here include the Kohinoor which is over 200 carats and the Cullinan II which is set in the crown that Queen Victoria used for her coronation in 1838.
However, perhaps the most interesting piece in the collection is the star of Africa which is a gigantic diamond of 530 carats which was cut from the Cullinan diamond that was originally over 3000 carats and extracted in the early 20th century from a South African mine.
If you do visit the Tower of London, you probably want to plan it for later in the day so that you can stay after closing to view the ceremony of the keys which has been performed every day for the past 700 years. This icon of tradition can be seen between 9:30 and 10:00 every night.