Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nikkimaria (talk | contribs) at 01:35, 2 July 2010 (→Later medieval period: typo). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

51°30′29″N 0°4′34″W / 51.50806°N 0.07611°W / 51.50806; -0.07611

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded in the winter of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The Tower of London is often identified with the White Tower, the original keep built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and moat. Although the Tower is popularly known today as a place of imprisonment, and was used as such from as early as 1100, that was not its primary purpose. Early in its history, the Tower was a grand palace, serving as a royal residence. The castle underwent several expansions, especially under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward III, resulting in its current general layout in the 13th century. It was sometimes used as a refuge from the general populace in times of unrest.

From the Tudor period onwards, the Tower became used less as a royal residence. Despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle, its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery. The zenith of the castle's use as a prison came in the 16th and 17th centuries, when many political or religious figures, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". The Tower is also known as a place of torture and execution, although only seven people were executed within the Tower; executions more commonly took place on the notorious Tower Hill, north of the castle.

Throughout its history, the Tower of London has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Although the Tower is today one of the country's most popular tourist attractions, it was once a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted on London by Norman conquerors. It is also a World Heritage Site.

Architecture

Layout

The Tower of London was oriented with its strongest and most impressive defences overlooking the Saxon city, which archaeologist Alan Vince suggests was deliberate. It would have visually dominated the surrounding area and would have stood out to traffic on the River Thames. There are three "wards", or enclosures: the innermost enclosure, which contains the White Tower and is the earliest phase of the castle; around the north, east, and west is the inner enclosure, built during the reign of Richard the Lionheart (1189–1199); finally, there is the outer ward which encompasses the castle and was built under Edward I. Although there were several phases of expansion since William the Conqueror founded his castle, the general layout has remained the same since Edward I completed his rebuild in 1285. The castle encloses an area of almost 12 acres (4.9 ha); a further 6 acres (2.4 ha) around the Tower of London constitutes the Tower Liberties – land under the direct influence of the castle and cleared for military reasons. The precursor of the Liberties were laid out in the 13th century when Henry III ordered that a strip of land adjacent to the castle be kept clear. Despite popular fiction, the Tower of London never had a permanent torture chamber, although the basement of the White Tower housed a rack in later periods. Tower Wharf was built on the bank of the Thames under Edward I; it was expanded to its current size during the reign of Richard II (1377–1399).

White Tower

According to military historian Allen Brown, "The great tower was also, by virtue of its strength, majesty and lordly accommodation, the donjon par excellence"; it is one of the largest keeps in the Christian world, and has been described as "the most complete eleventh-century palace in Europe". It measures 118 by 106 feet (36 by 32 m) at the base excluding the towers, and rises to a height of 90 ft (27 m) at the southern battlements. At the western corners are square towers, while the north-east tower is cylindrical to house a spiral staircase. The presence of a chapel in the south-east corner of the White Tower resulted in a semi-circular projection to accommodate the apse. As the tower was intended to be a comfortable residence as well as a stronghold, there were latrines built into the walls and four fireplaces to provide warmth.

The main building material is Kentish ragstone, although some local mudstone was also used. Caen stone was imported from northern France to provide details in the Tower's facing, although little of the original material survives; much of it was replaced by Portland stone in the 17th and 18th centuries. The structure was originally three storeys high, comprising a basement floor, an entrance level, and an upper floor. The entrance in Norman keeps was usually above ground and accessed via a wooden staircase so that in the event of an attack the defenders could remove the means of entry; in the case of the Tower of London, this was in the south face. In the reign of Henry II (1154–1189) a forebuilding was added to the south side of the tower, adding extra defences to the entrance; the building no longer survives. Each floor was divided into three chambers, the largest in the west, a smaller room in the north-east, and the chapel taking up the entrance and upper floors of the south-east. In the entire tower, there are just two original windows – in the south wall at gallery level, although they have been restored – as the others were enlarged in the 18th century.

The tower was terraced into the side of a mound, so the northern side of the basement is partially below ground level. As was typical of most keeps, the bottom floor was an undercroft filled with storage rooms, one of which contained a well. Although the layout has remained the same since the tower's construction, the interior of the basement dates mostly from the 18th century when the floor was lowered and the pre-existing timber vaults were replaced with brick counterparts. The basement is lit by small slits.

The entrance floor was probably intended for the use of the Constable of the Tower and other important officials. In the 17th century, the entrance in the south was blocked, and was not reopened until 1973. A smaller chamber to the east was connected to the entrance floor. Anyone heading to the upper floor had to pass through this chamber. The crypt of St John's Chapel occupied the south-east corner and could only be accessed via the eastern chamber. There is a recess in the north wall of the crypt; according to Geoffrey Parnell, Keeper of the Tower History at the Royal Armouries, "the windowless form and restricted access, suggest that it was designed as a strong-room for safekeeping of royal treasures and important documents".

The upper floor contained St John's Chapel, a grand hall in the west, and a residential chamber in the east. The hall and chamber were originally open to the roof and surrounded by a galley built into the wall, however a new floor level was inserted in the 15th century, along with the present roof. St John's Chapel was not part of the White Tower's original design, as the apse in the south-east corner was built after the basement walls. The main part of the chapel, where services were held, occupied the second floor. Because of the changes in function and design the tower’s interior has undergone since its construction, little is left of the original interior, except the chapel. As it survives today, the chapel reflects how the bare, unadorned Norman structure would have appeared. However, under Henry III in the 13th century the chapel was decorated. Amongst the ornamentation were stained glass windows depicting the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity and a gold-painted cross.

Innermost ward

The innermost ward encloses an area immediately south of the White Tower, stretching to what was the edge of the River Thames. The earliest buildings in the ward are unknown due to prolonged activity on the site; it is likely that since the castle's foundation the innermost ward was filled with timber buildings as was the case at other castles such as the 11th-century Hen Domen. At what point the royal lodgings began encroaching into the innermost ward from the White Tower is uncertain, although it had happened by the 1170s. In the 1220s and 1230s they were renovated and elaborated so that they were comparable with other palatial residences such as Windsor Castle. Beginning in about 1220, two towers were built along the innermost ward's wall along the river: Wakefield and Lanthorn towers. It is likely they would have been private residences for the queen and king respectively. The earliest evidence for how the royal chambers would have been decorated comes from Henry III's reign: the queen's chamber was whitewashed and then painted with flowers and imitation stonework. There was a great hall in the south of the ward, between the Lanthorn and Wakefield towers. Near Wakefield Tower there was a postern gate which allowed the king private access to his apartments. The innermost ward had originally been surrounded by a ditch to provide extra protection, but by the 1220s it had been filled in. Around this time, a kitchen was built in the ward. Between 1666 and 1676, the innermost ward was transformed and the palace buildings were replaced.

Inner ward

The inner ward was created during the reign of Richard the Lionheart when a moat was dug to the west of the innermost ward, effectively doubling the size of the castle. The inner ward took on its present dimensions during the reign of Henry III, creating the east and north walls surrounding the ward. Most of the work of Henry III survives, and only two of the nine towers he constructed have completely rebuilt. Between Wakefield Tower and Lanthorn Tower, the wall of the innermost ward is also the curtain wall of the inner ward. The main entrance to the inner ward would have been through a gatehouse, most likely in the west wall on the site of what is now Beauchamp Tower. The western curtain wall of the inner ward was rebuilt by Edward I. The 13th-century Beauchamp Tower marks the first large scale use of brick as a building material in Britain since the Romans left in the 5th century. Today, there are 13 towers studded along the curtain wall. Anti-clockwise from the south-west corner they are: Bell, Beauchamp, Devereux, Flint, Bowyer, Brick, Martin, Constable, Broad Arrow, Salt, Lanthorn, Wakefiled, and Bloody. While these towers provided positions from which enfilading fire could by deployed against a potential enemy, they also had accommodation. A turret at the top of Lanthorn Tower was used as a beacon for traffic approaching the Tower at night. As the name suggests, Bell Tower housed a belfry; its purpose was to raise the alarm in the event of an attack. With responsibility for making longbows, crossbows, catapults, and other siege and hand weapons, the royal bow-maker had a workshop in the Bowyer Tower. Between 1339 and 1341, a gatehouse was built into the curtain wall between Bell and Salt Towers.

As a result of the expansion by Herny III a Norman chapel, St Peter ad Vincula, which had previously stood outside the Tower of London was incorporated into the castle. Henry decorated the chapel, adding glazed windows and stalls for himself and his queen. It was first rebuilt by Edward I at a cost of over £300, and then later by Henry VIII in 1519; the current building dates from this period, although the chapel was refurbished in the 19th century. The Bloody Tower, immediately west of Wakefield Tower, was built at the same time as the inner ward's curtain wall; it was a Water-gate, providing access to the castle from the River Thames. It was a simple structure, protected by a portcullis and gate. During the Tudor period, a range of buildings for the storage of munitions was built along the inside of the north inner ward. Under the Stuart kings the buildings of the castle were remodelled, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. Just over £4,000 (about £460,000 as of 2008) was spent in 1663 on building a new storehouse, now known as the New Armouries in the inner ward. Construction of the Grand Storehouse north of the White Tower began in 1688, replacing the dilapidated Tudor range of storehouses in the same place; it was destroyed by fire in 1841. The Waterloo Barracks, which still stand today, were built on the site.

Outer ward

A third ward was created by the extension of Edward I; the narrow enclosure completely surrounded the castle. At the same time a bastion known as Legge's Mount was built at the castle's north-west corner. Brass Mount, the bastion in the north-east corner was a later addition. Along the east wall there were originally three rectangular towers 15 metres (49 ft) apart, although these were dismantled in 1843. Although the bastions have often been ascribed to the Tudor period, there is no evidence to support this; archaeological investigations suggest that Legge's Mount is Edwardian. There are blocked crenellations in the south side of Legge's Mount; these are the only surviving medieval battlements at the Tower of London as the rest are Victorian replacements. A new moat was dug beyond the castle's new limits, 50 metres (160 ft) wide; it was originally 4.5 metres (15 ft) deeper in the middle than it is today. With the addition of a new curtain wall, the old main entrance to the Tower of London was obscured and made redundant; a new entrance was created in the south-west corner of the external wall circuit. The complex consisted of an inner and an outer gatehouse and a barbican. The barbican became known as the Lion Tower because it was associated with the animals as part of the Royal Menagerie since at least the 1330s. The Lion Tower itself no longer survives. Edward extended the south side of the Tower of London onto land that had previously been submerged by the River Thames. In this wall, he built St Thomas' Tower between 1275 and 1279; later known as Traitors' Gate, it replaced Bloody Tower as the castle's water-gate. The building is unique in England, and the closest parallel is the now demolished water-gate at the Louvre in Paris. The dock was covered with arrowslits in case of an attack on the castle from the River; there was also a portcullis at the entrance to control who entered. There were luxurious lodgings on the first floor. Edward also moved the Royal Mint into the Tower; the exact location of the early mint is unknown although it was probably in either the outer ward or the Lion Tower. By 1560, the Mint was located in a building in the outer ward near Salt Tower. Between 1348 and 1355, a second water-gate, cradle Tower, was added east of St Thomas' Tower for the king's private use .

History

Foundation and early history

As part of their conquest of England, the Normans built many castles across the country. They were multi-purpose buildings, acting as fortifications (which could be used as a base of operations in enemy territory), centres of administration, and as residences. Castles were established in England for defensive purposes and to pacify the country's inhabitants. As William the Conqueror advanced through the country he fortified key positions to secure the land he had taken. Between 1066 and 1087 he established 36 castles, although references in the Domesday Book indicate that many more were founded by his subordinates. In the first few decades after the Norman Conquest, the new ruling elite undertook what has been described as "the most extensive and concentrated programme of castle-building in the whole history of feudal Europe".

After the Battle of Hastings, William took a circuitous approach to London in the autumn and winter of 1066, founding castles along the way. A series of Norman victories along the route intimidated the city leaders into yielding London without a fight. William sent a party ahead to prepare the city for his entrance, celebrating his victory, and with orders to found a castle; in the words of William's biographer, William of Poitiers, "certain fortifications were completed in the city against the restlessness of the huge and brutal populace. For he realised that it was of the first importance to overawe the Londoners". At the time, London was the largest town in England; the foundation of Westminster Abbey and the old Palace of Westminster under Edward the Confessor had marked it as a centre of governance, and with a prosperous port it was important for the Normans to establish control over the settlement. The other two castles in London – Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Castle – were established at the same time in south-west London. The fortification that would later become known as the Tower of London was built in the south-east corner of the Roman town walls, using them as prefabricated defences. The River Thames to the south provided additional protection. This earliest phase of the castle would have been enclosed by a ditch and defended by a timber palisade, and probably had accommodation suitable for William the Conqueror.

Most of the early castles founded by the Normans were built from timber, but by the end of the 11th century a few had been renovated or replaced with stone, including the Tower of London. Work on the White Tower, which gives the whole castle its name, is usually considered to have begun in 1078, however the exact date is unknown. William appointed Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, as the person in charge of the construction. The White Tower is a keep, also known as a donjon, and was the strongest point of the early castle. It contained grand accommodation for the king. The White Tower is the earliest stone keep in England and may not have been completed until after William's death in 1086. At the latest, it was probably finished by 1100 when bishop Ranulf Flambard was imprisoned there. Flambard was loathed by the English for exacting harsh taxes and is the Tower's first recorded prisoner. He also became the first person to escape imprisonment in the Tower. A rope was smuggled inside, secreted in a butt of wine, and on 2 February 1101, Flambard – who had been held in luxury and was permitted servants – hosted a banquet for his captors. He plied them with drink, and when they were not looking he left for a secluded chamber where he lowered himself out of the Tower. The escape came as such a surprise that one contemporary chronicler accused the bishop of witchcraft.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 1097 King William II ordered a wall to be built around the Tower of London; it was probably stone and likely replaced the timber palisade arcing around the north and west sides of the castle between the Roman wall and the Thames. The effect of the Norman Conquest on London manifested itself physically; not only was there a new ruling class, but they influenced the way the city was structured. Land was confiscated and redistributed amongst the Normans. The Normans brought over hundreds of Jews for financial reasons. They came under the direct protection of the Crown, and as a result Jewish communities were often found close to castles. When anti-Jewish violence broke out, the Jews would retreat to the protection of the Tower of London.

The death of Henry I in 1135 left England with a disputed inheritance; although Henry had persuaded the most powerful barons to swear support for the Empress Matilda, just a few days after his death Stephen of Blois arrived in England from France and laid claim to the throne. He quickly secured London, which marked the importance of the city and the Tower of London. The castle had not been used as a royal residence for an extended length of time, and was usually left in the charge of a Constable. The Constable during this period was Geoffrey de Mandeville; as the Tower was considered as an impregnable fortress in a strategically important place, possession was highly valued. Mandeville exploited this, selling his allegiance to Matilda after Stephen was captured at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. Once her support waned, he again sold his loyalty, to Stephen in 1142. Through his role as Constable of the Tower, Mandeville had become "the richest and most powerful man in England". When he tried the same trick in 1142, this time holding secret discussions with Matilda, Stephen arrested Mandeville and forced him to cede control of his castles. Stephen appointed one of his most loyal supporters as Constable of the Tower. Until then, the position had been hereditary, originally held by Geoffrey de Mandeville (a friend of William the Conqueror's and ancestor of the Geoffrey that Stephen and Matilda would deal with), but the power of the position was such that from then on it would be in the hands of a trusted person appointed by the king. The position was usually given to someone of great importance who could not always be at the castle; although the Constable was still responsible for maintaining the castle and its garrison, from an early stage he had a subordinate to help with this duty: the Lieutenant of the Tower. Constables also had civic duties relating to the city: usually they were given control of the city and were responsible for levying taxes, enforcing the law and maintaining order. Creation of the position of Lord Mayor of London in 1191 removed many of the civic powers held by the Constable and at times led to friction between the two.

Expansion

The castle probably retained its form as established by 1100 until the reign of Richard the Lionheart (1189–1199). Under William Longchamp, Richard's chancellor and the man in charge of England while he was on crusade, the castle was extended. The Pipe Rolls record £2,881 1s 10d spent at the Tower of London between 3 December 1189 and 11 November 1190. This was out of an estimated £7,000 that Richard spent on castle building in England. According to Roger of Howden, a contemporary chronicler, Longchamp dug a moat around the castle and unsuccessfully attempted to fill it from the Thames. Longchamp was also Constable of the Tower and undertook the expansion in preparation for war with Prince John, Richard's younger brother. John came to England and attempted to seize power in Richard's absence. The Tower of London was Longchamp's main fortress, so he made it as strong as possible. The new fortifications were put to the test in October 1191 when John laid siege to the Tower of London for the first time in the castle's history. After just three days, Longchamp capitulated, deciding he had more to gain from surrender than prolonging the siege.

The Tower was besieged for a second time in 1214. John had succeeded Richard as king, but his tyrannical rule was unpopular with many of his barons; in response, they moved against him. While the King was at Windsor Castle, Robert Fitzwalter led an army into London and laid siege to the Tower. Although under-garrisoned, the Tower resisted and the siege was lifted once John signed the Magna Carta. John eventually reneged on his promises of reform, leading to the outbreak of the First Barons' War. Even after the Magna Carta had been signed, Fitzwalter maintained his control of London. During the war, the Tower's garrison joined forces with the barons. John was deposed in 1216 and the barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis, the eldest son of the French king. However, after John's death in October 1216, many began to support the claim of Prince Henry, John's oldest son. War continued between the factions supporting Louis and Henry, with Fitzwalter supporting Louis. Fitzwalter was still in control of London and the Tower, both of which held out until it was clear that Henry's supporters would be victorious.

In the 13th century, Kings Henry III (1216–1272) and Edward I (1272–1307) extended the castle, essentially creating it as it stands today. Henry was disconnected from his barons, and a mutual lack of understanding led to resentment towards Henry's rule and unrest. As a result, he was eager to ensure the Tower of London was a formidable fortification; at the same time Henry was an aesthete and wished to make the castle a comfortable place to live. From 1216 to 1227 nearly £10,000 was spent on the Tower of London; in this period, only the work at Windsor Castle cost more (£15,000). Most of this work was focussed on the palatial buildings of the innermost ward. The tradition of whitewashing the White Tower (from which it derives its name) began in 1240.

Beginning in around 1238, the castle expanded to the east, north, and north-west. The work lasted through the reign of Henry III and into that of Edward I, with interruptions due to civil unrest. A new defensive perimeter was created, studded with towers along the perimeter; on the west, north, and east sides where the wall was not defended by the river, a ditch was created. The eastern extension took the castle beyond the bounds of the old Roman settlement, marked by the city wall which had been incorporated into the castle's defences. The Tower had long been a symbol of oppression, despised by Londoners, and Henry's building programme was unpopular, so when the gatehouse collapsed in 1240 the locals celebrated the setback. The expansion caused disruption locally and £166 was paid to St Katherine's Hospital and the prior of Holy Trinity in compensation.

Henry III often held court at the Tower of London and on at least two occasions (1236 and 1261) he held parliament in the castle when he felt that the barons were becoming dangerously unruly. In 1258, the discontented barons, led by Simon de Montfort, forced the King to agree to reforms including holding regular parliaments. Amongst the conditions was that the King had to relinquish the Tower of London. Henry III resented losing power and sought permission from the pope to break his oath. With the backing of mercenaries, Henry installed himself in the Tower in 1261. While negotiations continued with the barons, the King ensconced himself in the castle, although no army moved to take it. A truce was agreed with the condition that the King handed over control of the Tower. Henry won a significant victory at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, allowing him to regain control of the country and the Tower. Cardinal Ottobuon came to England to excommunicate those who were still rebellious; the act was deeply unpopular and the situation was exacerbated when the cardinal was granted custody of the Tower of London. Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, marched on London in April 1267 and laid siege to the castle, declaring that custody of the Tower was "not a post to be trusted in the hands of a foreigner, much less of an ecclesiastic". Despite a large army and siege engines, Gilbert de Clare was unable to take the castle. The Earl retreated, allowing the King control of the capital, and the Tower experienced peace for the rest of Henry's reign.

Although he was infrequently in London, Edward I undertook an expensive remodelling of the Tower, costing £21,000 between 1275 and 1285, over double that spent on the castle during the whole of Henry III's reign and equivalent to about £10.5 million as of 2008. Edward I was an experienced castle builder, and used his experience of siege warfare during the crusades to bring innovations to castle building. His programme of castle building in Wales heralded the introduction of the widespread use of arrowslits in castle walls across Europe, drawing on Eastern influences. At the Tower of London, Edward filled in the moat dug by Henry III and a new curtain wall built along its line, creating a new enclosure. A new moat was created in front of the new curtain wall. The western part of Henry III's curtain wall was rebuilt, with Beauchamp Tower replacing the castle's old gatehouse. A new entrance was created, with elaborate defences including two gatehouses and a barbican. In an effort to make the castle self-sufficient, Edward I also added two watermills. Six-hundred Jews were imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1278, charged with coin clipping. Persecution of the country's Jewish population under Edward  began in 1276 and culminated in 1290 when he issued the Edict of Expulsion, forcing the Jews out of the country.

Later medieval period

During Edward II's reign (1307–1327) there was relatively little activity at the Tower of London. Margaret de Clare, Lady Badlesmere became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London after she refused queen Isabella admittance to Leeds Castle and executed royal messengers. Although the Tower was used as a prison, it was not necessarily very secure, and throughout its history people bribed the guards to help them escape. In 1322 Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, was aided in his escape from the Tower by the Sub-Lieutenant of the Tower who let Mortimer's men inside. They hacked a hole in his cell wall and Mortimer escaped to a waiting boat. He escaped to France where he encountered Edward's queen. They began an affair and plotted to overthrow the King. One of Mortimer's first acts on entering England was to capture the Tower and release the prisoners held there. For three years he ruled while Edward III was too young to do so himself; in 1330, Edward and his supporters captured Mortimer and threw him in the Tower. Edward III's rule (1312–1377) saw an upturn in fortune in warfare after his father's reign had put the realm on the backfoot against the Scots and French. Amongst Edward's successes were the battles of Crécy and Poitiers where King John II of France was taken prisoner, and the capture of the King David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross. During this period, the Tower of London held many noble prisoners of war. The castle was uncomfortable and the nobility held prisoner within its walls were unable to engage in activities such as hunting which were permissible at other royal castles used as prisons, such as Windsor. The Tower was in a state of disrepair at this point and even high-status prisoners found confinement uncomfortable; Edward III ordered that the castle should be repaired.

When Richard II was crowned in 1377, he began took a procession from the Tower to Westminster Abbey. This tradition began in at least the early 14th century and lasted until 1660. During the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 the Tower of London was besieged with the King inside. When Richard rode out to meet with Wat Tyler, the rebel leader, a crowd broke into the castle without meeting resistance and looted the Jewel House. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury, took refuge in St John's Chapel, hoping the mob would respect the sanctuary. However, he was taken away and beheaded on Tower Hill. Six years later there was again civil unrest, and Richard spent Christmas at the Tower rather than Windsor was more usual. When Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile in 1399, Richard was imprisoned in the White Tower. He abdicated and was replaced on the throne by Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV. In the 15th century, there was little building work at the Tower of London, yet the castle still remained important as a place of refuge. When supporters of the late Richard II attempted a coup, Henry IV found safety in the Tower of London. During this period, the castle also held many distinguished prisoners. The heir to the Scottish throne, later King James I of Scotland, was kidnapped while journeying to France in 1406 and held in the Tower. The reign of Henry V (1413–1422) renewed England's fortune in the Hundred Years' War against France; as a result, many high-status prisoners were held in the Tower of London until they were ransomed.

Much of the latter half of the 15th century was occupied by the Wars of the Roses between the claimants to the throne, the houses of Lancaster and York. The castle was once again besieged in 1460, this time by a Yorkist force. The Tower was damaged by artillery fire but only surrendered when Henry VI was captured at the Battle of Northampton. With the help of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (nicknamed "the Kingmaker") Henry recaptured the throne for a short time in 1470. However, Edward IV soon regained control and Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was probably murdered. During the wars, the Tower was fortified to withstand gunfire, and provided with loopholes for cannons and handguns: an enclosure was created for this purpose to the south of Tower Hill, although it no longer survives.

Shortly after the death of Edward IV in 1483, the infamous murder of the "Princes in the Tower" took place. When Edward V was crowned King he was only 12 years old. His uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester, declared himself his protector and confined Edward in the Tower of London along with his brother Richard. The details surrounding their deaths are unclear, but they were murdered in autumn of 1483. The Duke of Gloucester then proclaimed himself King Richard III. Their bodies were discovered in 1674 when the 12th-century forebuilding at the entrance to the White Tower was demolished. The incident is one of the most famous events associated with the Tower of London. Opposition to Richard escalated until he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth in 1489 by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor. He ascended to the throne as Henry VII.

Changing use

The beginning of the Tudor period marked the decline of the Tower of London's use as a royal residence. As 16th-century chronicler Raphael Holinshed said the Tower became most commonly used as "an armouries and house of munition, and thereunto a place for the safekeeping of offenders than a palace roiall for a king or queen to sojourne in".

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Tower was assessed as needing considerable work on its defences; in 1532 Thomas Cromwell spent £3,593 (about £1.4 million as of 2008) on repairs and imported nearly 3000 tons of Caen stone for the work. Even so, this was not sufficient to bring the castle up to the standard of contemporary military fortifications which dealt with powerful artillery.

Although the defences were repaired, the palace buildings were left in a state of neglect after Henry's death. Their condition was so poor that they were virtually uninhabitable. From 1553 onwards, the Tower of London was only used as a royal residence when its political and historic symbolism was considered useful, for instance before their coronations each of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I briefly stayed at the Tower.

In the 16th century, the Tower acquired an enduring reputation as a grim, forbidding prison. This had not always been the case. As a royal castle, it was used by the king to imprison people for various reasons, however these were usually high-status individuals for short periods rather than common citizenry as there were plenty of prisons elsewhere for such individuals. Contrary to the popular image of the Tower, prisoners were able to make their life easier by purchasing amenities such as better food or tapestries through the Lieutenant of the Tower. As holding prisoners was originally an incidental role of the Tower – as would have been the case for any castle – there was no purpose build accommodation for prisoners until 1687 when a brick shed was built north-west of the White Tower. The Tower's reputation for torture and imprisonment derives largely from 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century romanticists. Although much of the Tower's reputation is exaggerated, the 16th and 17th centuries marked the castle's zenith as a prison, with many religious and political undesirables locked away. Amongst those held and executed at the Tower was Anne Boleyn.

The Tower was often a safer place than other prisons in London where disease was rife. High-status prisoners could live in comparable conditions to what they could expect outside; one such example was that while Walter Raleigh was held in the Tower his rooms were altered to accommodate his family, including his son who was born there in 1605. Executions were usually carried out on Tower Hill rather than in the Tower of London itself, and 112 people were executed on the hill over a period of 400 years. There were only seven executions within the castle; as was the case with Lady Jane Grey, this was reserved for prisoners whose execution in public was considered dangerous.

The Office of Ordnance and Armoury Office were founded in the 15th century. The Armoury and the Ordnance took over from the Privy Wardrobe's duties of looking after the monarch's arsenal and valuables. As there was no standing army before 1661, the importance of the royal armoury at the Tower of London was that it provided a professional basis for procuring supplies and equipment in times of war. The two bodies were resident at the Tower from at least 1454, and by 16th century they had moved to a position in the inner ward.

The last monarch to uphold the tradition of taking a procession from the Tower to Westminster to be crowned was Charles II in 1660. At the time, the castle's accommodation was in such poor condition that he did not stay there the night before his coronation. Over the 18th and 19th centuries, the palatial buildings were slowly adapted for other uses and demolished. Only the Wakefield and St St Thomas' towers survive. Under the Stuart kings the buildings of the castle were remodelled, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. Just over £4,000 (about £460,000 as of 2008) was spent in 1663 on building a new storehouse, now known as the New Armouries in the inner ward.

In the 17th century there were plans to enhance the Tower's defences in the style of the trace italienne, however they were never acted on. Although the facilities for the garrison were improved with the addition of the first purpose-built quarters for soldiers (the "Irish Barracks") in 1670, the general accommodations were still in poor condition.

When the Hanoverian dynasty ascended to the throne, their situation was uncertain and with a possible Scottish rebellion in mind, the Tower of London was repaired. Gun platforms added under the Stuarts had decayed. The number of guns at the Tower was reduced from 118 to 45, and one contemporary commentator noted that the castle "would not hold out four and twenty hours against an army prepared for a siege". For the most part, the 18th-century work on the defences was spasmodic and piecemeal, although a new gateway in the southern curtain wall permitting access from the wharf to the outer ward was added in 1774.

The moat surrounding the castle had become silted over the centuries since it was created despite attempts at clearing it. It was still an integral part of the castle's defences, so in 1830 the Duke of Wellington ordered a large-scale clearance of several feet of silt. However this did not prevent an outbreak of disease in the garrison in 1841 caused by poor water supply, resulting in several deaths. To prevent the festering ditch posing further health problems, it was ordered that the moat should be drained and filled with earth. The work began in 1843 and was mostly complete two years later. The construction of the Waterloo Barracks in the inner ward began in 1845, when the Duke of Wellington laid the foundation stone. The building could accommodate 1,000 men; at the same time, separate quarters for the officers were built to the north-east of the White Tower. The building is now the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The popularity of the Chartist movement between 1828 and 1858 led to a desire to refortify the Tower of London in the event of civil unrest. It was the last major programme of fortification at the castle. Most of the surviving installations for the use of artillery and firearms date from this period.

State records had been kept at the Tower of London since the reign of Edward I, initially in the Wakefield Tower, for a period it was known as the Record Tower. Then the White Tower was also used for this purpose. After the construction of the Public Records Office in the 1850s the records were moved there and the Wakefield Tower was adapted to house the Crown Jewels.

Restoration

The 18th century marked an increasing interest in England's medieval past. One of the effects was the emergence of Gothic Revival architecture. In the Tower's architecture, this was manifest when the New Horse Armoury was built in a Gothic side immediately south of the White Tower. Other buildings were remodelled to match the style and the Waterloo Barracks were described as "castellated Gothic of the 15th century". Between 1845 and 1885 institutions such as the Mint which had inhabited the castle for centuries moved to other sites; as many of the post-medieval structures left vacant they were demolished. In 1855 the War Office took over responsibility for manufacture and storage of weapons from the Ordnance Office, which was gradually phased out of the castle. At the same time, there was greater interest in the history of the Tower of London. Public interest was partly fuelled by contemporary writers. Particularly influential amongst the 19th-century writers was the work of William Harrison Ainsworth. In The Tower of London: A Historical Romance he created a vivid image of underground torture chambers and devices for extracting confessions that stuck in the public imagination. Harrison also played another role in the Tower's history: he suggested that Beauchamp Tower should be opened to the public so they could see the inscriptions of 16th and 17th-century prisoners. Working on the suggestion, Anthony Salvin refurbished the tower. Salvin led a further programme to comprehensively restore the Tower of London at the behest of Prince Albert. Salvin was succeeded in the work by John Taylor. When a feature did not meet his expectations of medieval architecture Taylor would ruthlessly removed it; as a result, several important buildings within the castle were pulled down and in some cases post-medieval internal decoration removed.

Although only one bomb fell on the Tower of London in the First World War (it landed harmlessly in the moat), the Second World War left a greater mark. On 23 September 1940, during the Blitz, high-explosive bombs damaged the castle, destroying several buildings and narrowly missing the White Tower. The Tower's use as a prison was renewed during the war and held prisoners of war. One such person was Rudolph Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, albeit just for four days in 1941. He was the last state prisoner to be held at the castle. After the war, the damage was repaired and the Tower of London was reopened to the public. It became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. This became the Tower's primary role, and the remaining routine military activities, under the Royal Logistics Corps, wound down in the latter half of the century and moved out of the castle. However, the Tower is still home to the ceremonial regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the museum dedicated to it and its predecessor, the Royal Fusiliers. Also, a detachment of the unit providing the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace still mounts a guard at the Tower, and with the Yeomen Warders, takes part in the Ceremony of the Keys each day. On several occasions throught the year gun salutes are fired from the Tower by the Honourable Artillery Company, these consist of 62 rounds for royal occasions, and 41 on other occasions. In 1974, there was a bomb explosion in the Mortar Room in the White Tower, leaving one person dead and 35 injured. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but the police investigated suspicions that the IRA was behind it.

The Tower of London is cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown. In 1988, the Tower of London was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, in recognition of its global importance and to help conserve and protect the site. However, recent developments, such as the construction of skyscrapers nearby, have pushed the Tower towards being added to the United Nation's Heritage in Danger List. At least six ravens are kept at the Tower at all times, in accordance with the belief that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall. They are under the care of the Yeomen Warders. The earliest known reference to a tower raven is a picture in the newspaper The Pictorial World in 1885.

Crown Jewels

The tradition of housing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London probably dates from the reign of Henry III. The Jewel House was built specifically to house the royal regalia, including jewels, plate, and symbols of royalty such as the crown, sceptre, and sword. When money needed to be raised, the treasure could be pawned by the monarch. The treasure allowed the monarch independence from the aristocracy, and consequently was closed guarded. A new position for "keeper of the jewels, armouries and other things" was created, which was well rewarded; in the reign of Edward III (1312–1377) the holder was paid 12d a day. The position grew to include other duties including purchasing royal jewels, gold, and silver, and appointing royal goldsmiths and jewellers. In 1669, the Crown Jewels were moved into Martin Tower where they could be viewed by the paying public. This was exploited two years later when Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal them. Blood and his accomplices bound and gagged the Jewel House keeper. Although they laid their hands on the Imperial State Crown, Sceptre and Orb, they were foiled when the keeper's son turned up unexpectedly and raised the alarm. The Crown Jewels are currently stored in the Waterloo Barracks at the Tower.

Menagerie

The Royal Menagerie is first referenced during the reign of Henry III. In 1251, the sheriffs were ordered to pay fourpence a day towards the upkeep for king's polar bear; the bear attracted a great deal of attention from Londoners when it went fishing in the Thames. In 1254, the sheriffs were ordered to subsidise the construction of an elephant house at the Tower. The exact location of the medieval menagerie is unknown, although the lions were kept in the barbican known as Lion Tower. The royal collection was swelled by diplomatic gifts including three leopards from the Holy Roman Emperor. The menagerie was open to the public by the 18th century; admission cost three half-pence or the supply of a cat or dog for feeding to the lions. The menagerie's last director, Alfred Cops, who took over in 1822, found the collection in a dismal state but restocked it and issued an illustrated scientific catalogue. The animals were moved to the Zoological Society of London's London Zoo when it opened. The last of the animals left in 1835, and most of the Lion Tower was demolished soon after, although Lion Gate remains.

Ghosts

The Tower of London is reputedly the most haunted building in England. The ghost of Queen Anne Boleyn, beheaded in 1536 for treason against King Henry VIII, has allegedly been seen haunting the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, where she is buried, and walking around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm. Other ghosts include Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole, and the Princes in the Tower. In January 1816, a sentry on guard outside the Jewel House witnessed an inexplicable apparition of a bear advancing towards him, and reportedly died of fright a few days later. In October 1817, an even more inexplicable, tubular, glowing apparition was seen in the Jewel House by the Keeper of the Crown Jewels, Edmund Lenthal Swifte. The apparition hovered over the shoulder of his wife, leading her to exclaim: "Oh, Christ! it has seized me!" Other nameless and formless terrors have been reported, more recently, by night staff at the Tower.

See also

• List of prisoners of the Tower of London
• Tower of London in popular culture

References

Notes

1. Wakefield Tower was originally called Blundeville Tower.
2. Comparing relative purchasing power of £4,000 in 1663 with 2008.
3. Flambard, Bishop of Durham, was imprisoned by Henry I "for the many injustices which Henry himself and the king's other sons had suffered".
4. Comparing relative purchasing power of £21,000 in 1285 with 2008.
5. Comparing relative purchasing power of £3,593 in 1532 with 2008.
6. Comparing relative purchasing power of £4,000 in 1663 with 2008.
7. The elephant, a gift from the king of France, died after just two years in England.

Footnotes

1. Vince 1990 in Creighton 2002, p. 138
2. Creighton 2002, p. 138
3. Parnell 1993, p. 11
4. ^ Parnell 1993, pp. 32–33
5. Wilson 1998, p. 39
6. Parnell 1993, p. 49
7. Allen Brown 1976, p. 15
8. ^ Allen Brown 1976, p. 44
9. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 16
10. ^ Parnell 1993, pp. 20–23
11. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 22
12. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 20
13. Friar 2003, p. 164
14. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 17
15. ^ Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 12
16. Parnell 1993, p. 32
17. Parnell 1993, p. 27
18. ^ Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 17
19. Parnell 1993, p. 28
20. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 17–18
21. Parnell 1993, p. 65
22. ^ Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 15–17
23. Parnaell 1993, p. 24 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFParnaell1993 (help)
24. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 33
25. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 10
26. Parnell 1993, pp. 34–35
27. Parnell 1993, p. 42
28. Wilson, p. 34 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWilson (help)
29. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 47
30. Parnell 1993, p. 46
31. Parnell 1993, p. 55
32. Parnell 1993, p. 29
33. Parnell 1993, p. 58
34. ^ Officer, Lawrence H. (2009), Purchasing Power of British Pounds from 1264 to Present, MeasuringWorth, retrieved 29 May 2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
35. Parnell 1993, p. 64
36. Parnell 1993, p. 70
37. Parnell 1993, p. 90
38. ^ Parnell 1993, pp. 35–37
39. Parnell 1993, pp. 43–44
40. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 34
41. ^ Parnell 1993, pp. 40–41
42. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 36
43. Parnell 1993, pp. 38–39
44. Parnell 1993, p. 43
45. Parnell 1993, p. 61
46. Friar 2003, p. 47
47. Liddiard 2005, p. 18
48. Allen Brown 1976, p. 30
49. Allen Brown 1976, p. 31
50. ^ Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 5
51. ^ Wilson 1998, p. 1
52. ^ Wilson 1998, p. 2
53. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 5–9
54. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 9–10
55. Wilson 1998, p. 5
56. Wilson 1998, pp. 5–6
57. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 12–13
58. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 54
59. Creighton 2002, p. 147
60. Wilson 1998, pp. 6–9
61. Wilson 1998, pp. 14–15
62. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 13
63. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 15
64. Gillingham 2002, p. 304.
65. Wilson 1998, pp. 13–14
66. Wilson 1998, pp. 17–18
67. Wilson 1998, pp. 19–20
68. Parnell 1993, p. 27
69. ^ Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, p. 20
70. Wilson 1998, p. 21
71. Allen Brown & Curnow 1984, pp. 20–21
72. Wilson 1998, pp. 24–27
73. Wilson 1998, p. 27
74. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 35
75. Cathcart King 1988, p. 84
76. Parnell 1993, pp. 35–44
77. Wilson 1998, pp. 31
78. Wilson 1998, pp. 34, 36
79. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 41
80. Wilson 1998, p. 40
81. Wilson 1998, pp. 34, 42–43
82. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 42
83. Wilson 1998, p. 45
84. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 51
85. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 42
86. ^ Parnell 1993, p. 53
87. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 44
88. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 45
89. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 46
90. Impey & Parnell 2000, pp. 46–47
91. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 51
92. Parnell 1993, p. 55
93. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 73
94. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 52
95. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 91
96. Wilson 1998, pp. 10–11
97. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 92
98. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 94
99. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 47
100. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 57
101. Impey & Parnell 2000, pp. 54–55
102. Parnell 1993, p. 64
103. Parnell 1993, pp. 76–77
104. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 78
105. Impey & Parnell 2000, pp. 79–80
106. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 81
107. Wakefield Tower
108. ^ Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 117
109. Impey & Parnell 2000, pp. 118–121
110. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 123
111. Impey & Parnell 2000, p. 124
112. "Regimental History", British Army website, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, 2010, retrieved 2010-06-16
113. Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (London) Museum, Army Museums Ogilby Trust, retrieved 2010-06-16
114. The Ceremony of the Keys, Historic Royal Palaces, 2004–2010, retrieved 2010-06-16
115. The Queen's Guard, British Army, 2010, retrieved 2010-06-16
116. Yeomen Warders, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, 2008/09, retrieved 2010-06-16 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
117. Gun salutes, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, 2008/09, retrieved 2010-06-16 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
118. On This Day 1974: Bomb blast at the Tower of London, BBC News Online, 17 July 1974, retrieved 2010-06-16
119. Cause and principles, Historic Royal Palaces, retrieved 201-04-30 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
120. UNESCO Constitution, UNESCO, retrieved 2009-08-17
121. Tower of London, UNESCO, retrieved 2009-07-28
122. Unesco warning on Tower of London, BBC News Online, 21 October 2006, retrieved 2010-06-16
123. Jerome 2006, pp. 148–149
124. Sax 2007, pp. 272–274
125. ^ Wilson 1998, p. 29
126. Parnell 1993, p. 111
127. Colonel Blood's raid, Historic Royal Palaces, retrieved 2010-06-22
128. Jewel House, Historic Royal Palaces, retrieved 2010-06-22
129. ^ Wilson 1998, p. 23 Cite error: The named reference "Wilson 23" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
130. Parnell 1993, pp. 40, 54
131. Blunt 1976, p. 17
132. Roud 2010, pp. 60–61
133. Farson 1978
134. Hole 1951, pp. 61–62, 155

Bibliography

• Allen Brown, Reginald (1976) , Allen Brown's English Castles, Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, ISBN 1843830698
• Allen Brown, Reginald; Curnow, P (1984), Tower of London, Greater London: Department of the Environment Official Handbook, Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, ISBN 0-11-671148-5
• Blunt, Wilfred (1976), The Ark in the Park: The Zoo in the Nineteenth Century, London: Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0241893313
• Cathcart King, David James (1988), The Castle in England and Wales: an Interpretative History, London: Croom Helm, ISBN 0-918400-08-2
• Creighton, Oliver (2002), Castles and Landscapes, Continuum, ISBN 0-8264-5896-3
• Farson, Daniel (1978), Ghosts in Fact and Fiction, Hamlyn Young Books, ISBN 978-0600340539
• Friar, Stephen (2003), The Sutton Companion to Castles, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7509-3994-2
• Gillingham, John (2002) , Richard I, London: Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-09404-3
• Hole, Christina (1951), Haunted England: A Survey of English Ghost-Lore (3 ed.), Batsford
• Impey, Edward; Parnell, Geoffrey (2000), The Tower of London: The Official Illustrated History, Merrell Publishers in association with Historic Royal Palaces, ISBN 1-85894-106-7
• Jerome, Fiona (2006), Tales from the Tower: Secrets and Stories from a Gory and Glorious Past, Think Publishing, ISBN 978-184525026 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
• Liddiard, Robert (2005), Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500, Macclesfield: Windgather Press Ltd, ISBN 0-9545575-2-2
• Parnell, Geoffrey (1993), The Tower of London, Batsford, ISBN 978-0713468649
• Roud, Steve (2010), London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City, Arrow Books, ISBN 978-0099519867
• Sax, Boria (2007), "How Ravens Came to the Tower of London", Society and Animals, 15 (3)
• Vince, Alan (1990), Saxon London: An Archaeological Investigation, Seaby, ISBN 1852640197
• Wilson, Derek (1998) , The Tower of London: A Thousand Years (2nd ed.), Allison & Busby, ISBN 0-74900-332-4

Further reading

• Bennett, Edward Turner, The Tower Menagerie: Comprising the Natural History of the Animals Contained in that Establishment; with Anecdotes of their Characters and History, London, Robert Jennings, 1829.
• Harman, A. Sketches of the Tower of London as a Fortress, a Prison, and a Palace. London: 1864.
• Parnell, Geoffrey (2009), The Tower of London: Past & Present, History Press, ISBN 978-0752450360

External links

• Official website
• Further reading recommended by Historic Royal Palaces
• Bibliography of sources relating to the Tower of London

Articles and topics related to Tower of London

v t e History of London Evolution Londinium Lundenwic City of London City of Westminster Middlesex County of London Greater London Timeline Periods Roman London Anglo-Saxon London Norman and Medieval London Tudor London Stuart London 18th-century London 19th-century London 1900–1939 World War II (The Blitz) 1945–2000 21st century Events Coronations Peasants' Revolt Black Death Great Plague Great Fire 1854 cholera outbreak Great Stink Great Exhibition 1908 Franco-British Exhibition The Battle of Cable Street Festival of Britain Great Smog Abdication of Edward VIII Swinging London London Plan 1966 FIFA World Cup final Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings Anti-war protests 7/7 bombings Olympic Games 1908 1948 2012 2012 Summer Paralympics Grenfell Tower fire COVID-19 pandemic Government Historic Metropolitan Board of Works London County Council Greater London Council Current Greater London Authority London Assembly Mayor of London Politics Political parties Labour Conservatives Liberal Democrats London Green Party London independence Services Bow Street Runners Metropolitan Police London Ambulance Service London Fire Brigade Port of London Authority London sewer system London Underground London Metropolitan Archives City of London City of London Corporation Lord Mayor of the City of London Wards of the City of London Guildhall Livery Companies Lord Mayor's Show City of London Police Bank of England Structures St Paul's Cathedral Tower of London Palace of Whitehall Westminster Hall London Bridge Tower Bridge Westminster Abbey Big Ben The Monument Fortifications Scheduled monuments Category v t e British royal residences Official Buckingham Palace Clarence House Hillsborough Castle Holyrood Palace Kensington Palace St James's Palace Windsor Castle Private Balmoral Castle Birkhall Craigowan Lodge Gatcombe Park Highgrove House Kensington Palace Ivy Cottage Nottingham Cottage Wren House Llwynywermod Sandringham House Anmer Hall Wood Farm Tamarisk Thatched House Lodge Windsor Adelaide Cottage Bagshot Park Frogmore Cottage Royal Lodge See also Former royal residences Historic Royal Palaces v t e World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom England Bath as part of Great Spa Towns of Europe Blenheim Palace Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape Derwent Valley Mills Durham Castle and Cathedral Frontiers of the Roman Empire Hadrian's Wall Ironbridge Gorge Jodrell Bank Observatory Jurassic Coast Kew Royal Botanic Gardens Lake District Maritime Greenwich Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including St Margaret's Church Saltaire Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey Tower of London Scotland Edinburgh Old Town and New Town Flow Country Forth Bridge Frontiers of the Roman Empire Antonine Wall Heart of Neolithic Orkney New Lanark St Kilda Wales Blaenavon Industrial Landscape Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd Beaumaris Castle Caernarfon Castle and Town Walls Conwy Castle and Town Walls Harlech Castle Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales Northern Ireland Giant's Causeway British Overseas Territories Gorham's Cave Complex Gough Island Inaccessible Island Henderson Island Town of St George and Related Fortifications Former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City v t e Prisons in London Active Belmarsh Brixton Feltham Isis Pentonville Thameside Wandsworth Wormwood Scrubs Defunct Borough Compter Bridewell Palace Clerkenwell Bridewell Clerkenwell The Clink Coldbath Fields Fleet Fulham Refuge Gatehouse Giltspur Street Compter Holloway Horsemonger Lane King's Bench Latchmere House Marshalsea Millbank New Newgate Palace of Placentia Poultry Compter St Giles's Roundhouse Tothill Fields Bridewell Tower of London Wood Street Compter Category

Template:Link FA

• Tower of London
• 1070s architecture
• Grade I listed buildings in London
• Grade I listed castles
• Honourable Artillery Company
• Military museums in London
• Regimental museums in England
• Tall buildings and structures in London