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| Tower of London tips and photos posted by real travelers and London locals.
Tower Hill, EC3
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The Tower of London is an ancient fortress (1076) standing on the banks of the River Thames. Over its history it has been used as a royal palace and fortress, a prison, an arsenal, and a jewel house, amongst other things.
Attracting loads of visitors from around the world, it is best to get there early if you want to avoid the crowds. You can also save time by buying your ticket in advance from any Tube station.
Once inside you can enjoy a guided tour led by the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters), who live within the Tower precincts. If you are around in the evening check out the Ceremony of the keys, when the Beefeaters lock the Tower gates and the keys are ceremoniously locked away in the Queen's house.
Besides the history, and the numerous towers to explore, the biggest draw card for visitors are the beautiful Crown Jewels. You can see some of the worlds largest and most historic diamonds....but sorry ladies, they are a little too big to be made into a ring!
If you don't end up doing one of the tours, you can still do a self-tour (guidebook in hand!) or pay extra for an audio-tour. We just wandered about, amazing over the Crown Jewels, exploring the towers and trying to take photos of the resident ravens. Leave a Comment
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I realise that the Tower of london is probably high on the list of must sees for visitors to London, and rightly so. with almost a thousand years of history, the priceless Crown Jewels, ravens and splendidly attired Yeoman warders, it really is a wonderful place to visit.
What people are perhaps less aware of is the Ceremony of the Keys. It is by ticket only (limited numbers) but is really well worth seeing.
Tickets for this ceremony are free but you need to apply 6-8 weeks in advance. Write to The Ceremony of the Keys, Waterloo Block, HM Tower of London, London, England EC3N 4AB enclosing a stamped addressed envelope or coupon-response international and stating the names of the attendees.
As the Yeoman warders put it, at 700 years, it's the longest running show in town. Leave a Comment
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I am placing the Tower of London under 'must see' as many people consider it to be something they have to do because of the crown jewels. This post does not deal with whether or not one should go to the tower of London, but instead a tip if one is already planning to go.
The lines for tickets at the tower of London can be hours long, but one way to avoid them is to purchase your tickets at Tower hill tube station. Just go to any ticket window in this particular tube station, purchase your tickets, and then walk around the huge line to the entrance!
Note: I have not tried this since living in London in 2004, so I am not positive it still works. It is worth trying, as it might save a couple hours in line. Leave a Comment
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The Tower of London has a long and diverse history. The present White Tower is on the same site as the original wooden fort erected by Wm. the Conqueror.
The moat, double drawbridge entrance, towers, and curtain wall were added in the 13th Century.
Even though the Tower of London has been a fortress and royal palace for hundreds of years, most people think of it only as a prison and a place of execution. But, did you know that it's also been used as a royal mint, royal armory, royal zoo, and royal observatory?
Today, the only animals in The Tower of London are six or seven ravens. They are kept because of a legend that says that the White Tower (and the Monarchy) will collapse if these ravens leave.
Perhaps the real role of the White Tower is security of the Monarch. (That's why the Crown Jewels are kept there!)
Many people who come to visit the Tower of London come to hear about the gore and violence. Most prisoners were kept in the Bloody Tower where the Yeoman Warders looked after them.
Edward IV's two sons were put in this tower by their uncle who became Richard III!
Trials took place in Westminister Hall. So, prisoners were ferried to Westminister Hall and back to the Tower along the river. Of course, crowds would wait by the river to discover the verdicts of the court, wishing to see a public execution! When the prisoner arrived back at The Tower, the executioner stood behind him and would indicate the verdict by using the head of his axe. If it pointed toward the prisoner, he was guilty; if it pointed away from the prisoner, he was not guilty. Seven people died here.
Today, 40 Yeoman Warders guard the tower.
The Tower of London is located just east of the City limits. Leave a Comment
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Nobody knows more about the history of the Tower of London than the ROYAL YEOMAN WARDERS or affectionately known as BEEFEATERS. No visit is complete without joining one of their tours. Having guarded this royal palace and fortress for centuries, they will captivate you with amazing stories, passed on from generation to generation and guide you to the infamousTraitors' Gate and the execution site. They will also give you the unique opportunity to visit the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, the final resting place of these executed inside The Tower. Tours are held throughout the day. Leave a Comment
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The Tower of london is by far one of the most famous and well preserved building in the world.
It was begun by William the conqueror in 1066 and has been consistantly improved and extended since then.
It s position was great to see enemies approach on the Thames.
For over 900 years, it has been a palace, prison, place of executions, and jewels house.
It is quit expensive to visit: £13.5 and queues can get quit long, best to be an early bird.
open every day from 10am to 5pm(with some variance some months) and closed 1 jan, 24-26 dec. (last entry 1h before closing) Leave a Comment
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While we were up in the London Eye, we could just barely make out the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge in an easterly direction - I did not realize these two landmarks were so far away from the Westminster area we were touring on that day. However, back in 1979 we did have a good look around that part of London as well.
The Tower of London actually comprises a walled fortification with several defensive turrets forming an interior courtyard where the most visible building, the White Tower with it's four battlements juts high above the other buildings. The Tower complex includes the River Thames waterfront as one of it's sides and there is a gate which allows a boat to enter from the river.
Formerly the site of a Roman fortification, the White Tower was the first of today's buildings constructed here, in 1078 on the order of William the Conqueror, shortly after his successful invasion of England in 1066. Other walls, towers and fortifications were added over the centuries but one of the earliest uses of the site was as a zoo (1204-1835) for displaying some of the strange animals that were being discovered as exploration blossomed. Of course the Tower is also famous as a jail for high profile prisoners and for the many executions carried out both within (nobles) and without (common criminals) its walls. No prisoners have been held there since the early 1950s, so the Tower of London is now mostly a tourist attraction, although the Crown Jewels are still kept there for safekeeping.
The second photo gives you an idea of how close the Tower is to the impressive Tower Bridge while the third one shows an interior courtyard view toward the White Tower. Leave a Comment
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New permanent displays on the theme of prisoners have been installed in the Bloody Tower and Beauchamp Tower at the Tower of London. The new displays incorporate the latest audio and visual effects to create an exciting and interactive experience for visitors. Learn how prisoners spent their time while confined in these rooms and contemplate the reality of Tower imprisonment.
Ravens ( in one of the small pix ) are kept because of a legend that says that the tower and therefore the Monarchy will collapse if the Ravens leave, so a few are kept on hand --- Just in case!!! Leave a Comment
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The TOWER OF LONDON was the prison you got sent to if you upset the King or Queen. Often it was nobles themselves who were inprisoned as they had more contact with the monarch and were more likely to fall from grace.
The Tower of London is the nation's leading historic visitor attraction. This ancient fortress was founded by William the Conquerer and over 900 years of British history have been played out between its walls. It was here that Ann Boleyn was executed, Guy Fawkes interrogated, Richard II and Elizabeth I incarcerated.
Normal Adult Entry Price: 14.50 Leave a Comment
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If you took the River Thames Cruise, as you passed by the Tower of London, you had to notice ENTRY TO THE TRAITOR'S GATE, which was used as the landing for the Crown's enemies. All important prisoners entered the Tower through this gate.
The accompanying picture shows most of the Gate as it is low tide. Leave a Comment
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