The Tower of London is not just a fortress. It is a place where royal power, fear, intrigue, and survival have intersected for almost a thousand years. Unlike Westminster Abbey or the Palace of Westminster, the Tower was never a symbol of triumph — it was a symbol of power, and not always a pleasant one. Kings and queens were held here, executions took place here, and people escaped here as well.
History: From a Wooden Fort to a Stone Stronghold
The history of the Tower begins in 1066, when William the Conqueror, after his victory at Hastings, decided to secure his power over London. At first he built a wooden fort on the site of Roman fortifications, but already in the 1070s he began to build a stone tower — the very one we know today as the White Tower. Construction used stone brought from Normandy and took about twenty years. William never saw it completed.
The White Tower was not just a fortress. It was a message: any resident of London, raising their head, saw this massive structure and understood who ruled here. The walls were several metres thick, and the entrance was raised above the ground and reached by a removable wooden staircase — in case of threat it was removed, and the tower became practically impregnable.
In the 13th century, Henry III and Edward I significantly expanded the complex, building outer and inner walls with towers. Thus the Tower turned into a "concentric fortress" — one of the most advanced defensive systems of its time. It was then that the towers known to tourists today appeared: the Bloody Tower, Wakefield Tower, Beauchamp Tower, and others.
Throughout its history, the Tower was captured only once — in 1381 during the Peasants` Revolt, when the gates were left open. After this incident, the fortress guard was strengthened.
What Was Built Inside the Tower of London
The White Tower is the heart of the entire complex and the oldest surviving building in London. Inside is the Chapel of St John — a rare example of Norman church architecture, austere and almost devoid of decoration. The collection of weapons and armour is also kept here, including the armour of Henry VIII.
The Bloody Tower got its name after the disappearance of the two young princes — Edward V and his brother Richard. According to legend, they were killed here by order of their uncle, the future Richard III. Walter Raleigh was also imprisoned in the tower, leaving his signature on the wall.
Wakefield Tower is the place where, it is believed, King Henry VI was killed during the Wars of the Roses.
Traitors` Gate is the entrance from the Thames, through which prisoners were brought into the Tower. The future Elizabeth I also passed through these gates when her sister Mary I sent her to the Tower.
Historical Facts About the Tower of London
The First Prisoner and the First Escape
In 1100, Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham, became the first known prisoner of the Tower. He was accused of extortion. However, he was not going to accept his fate: friends passed him a rope in a barrel of wine, and the bishop escaped from a window of the White Tower, after which he reached France. The first prisoner — and the first successful escape. This says a great deal about the character of the place.
Anne Boleyn
In 1536, the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, was imprisoned in the Tower. She was accused of treason and incest, although the real reason was the absence of a male heir. She was placed not in a dungeon, but in the same chambers where she had lived before her coronation three years earlier. Henry ordered an experienced executioner with a sword instead of an axe to be brought from France — Anne was executed with a single stroke. She is buried in the Chapel of St Peter within the walls of the Tower.
Catherine Howard
The fifth wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed in the Tower in 1542. As she was led across London Bridge, according to legend, she saw the head of her lover Thomas Culpeper impaled on a pike, executed shortly before her. Her body is also buried in the Chapel of St Peter.
The Princes in the Tower
In 1483, the twelve-year-old Edward V and his younger brother Richard were placed in the Tower under the "protection" of their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, who soon became Richard III. No one ever saw them again. In 1674, during repairs to a staircase, the remains of two children were found. Charles II ordered them to be reburied in Westminster Abbey. The question of what exactly happened to the princes remains open to this day.
Raleigh`s Escape and His Books
Walter Raleigh spent about thirteen years in the Tower. During this time he wrote "The History of the World" — a substantial work that he created while in confinement. He also conducted chemical experiments and, according to rumours, grew tobacco. He was executed in 1618, but his time in the Tower became an example of how a prisoner can turn a prison into a study.
The Last Execution
The last execution in the Tower took place in 1941: the German spy Josef Jakobs was shot in the inner courtyard. This made the Tower one of the few places in Britain where executions continued into the 20th century.
The Jewel House
Why There Is Always a Queue Here
Among all the exhibitions of the Tower of London, the Jewel House is the only one where a queue stands at almost any time of day. And this is not surprising. It houses more than 100 items of royal regalia — coronation crowns, sceptres, orbs, and swords. The main difference between this collection and an ordinary museum collection is that these are working items: at the opening of Parliament, the monarch still wears the Imperial State Crown. What you see are not preserved antiquities, but objects that continue to take part in state ceremonies.
The Harsh Truth: Almost Everything You Will See Is Not Original
This is the most important thing to know about the Jewel House. In 1649, during the English Revolution, Parliament ordered the destruction of the royal regalia as a symbol of the abolished monarchy. Medieval and Tudor coronation items were sent to the mint and melted down into coins, and the crowns were "completely broken and destroyed."
After the Restoration, Charles II in 1661 was forced to order the entire set anew. Therefore, almost all the exhibits of the Jewel House are less than 350 years old. The only surviving medieval item is the Coronation Spoon of the 12th century. It survived, probably only because it was too small and inconspicuous to be noticed. In addition, three ceremonial swords of the early 17th century also survived. Everything else — from St Edward`s Crown to the Imperial State Crown — was created after 1661.
Main Exhibits
St Edward`s Crown is the very crown placed on the monarch at the moment of coronation. It is made of solid gold and weighs 2.23 kilograms, decorated with rubies, amethysts, and sapphires. It is used only at the very moment of coronation, after which it is replaced by the lighter Imperial State Crown.
The Imperial State Crown is the one you see on the monarch at the opening of Parliament. It is relatively "light" — about 1 kilogram — but at the same time contains 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 4 rubies, and 269 pearls. The most famous stones: the "Black Prince`s Ruby" (actually a red spinel that accompanied Henry V at Agincourt), the "Cullinan II" (317 carats) in the lower part, and the St Edward`s Sapphire at the top, which, according to legend, comes from the ring of Edward the Confessor.
The Sceptre with the Cross is topped with the "Cullinan I" — 530 carats, the largest colourless cut diamond in the world. The original "Cullinan" crystal weighing 3,106 carats was found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into 9 large and 96 small stones. When the "Cullinan I" was set on the sceptre, jewellers had to reinforce the sceptre itself — the stone turned out to be too heavy.
The Coronation Spoon is the oldest item in the collection, from the 12th century. It is used to apply holy oil at the coronation. It is the only medieval object that survived the destruction of 1649.
The "Koh-i-Noor" diamond ("Mountain of Light") weighing 105.6 carats is set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Its history is full of disputes: it belonged to the Mughal emperors, the Iranian shahs, the Afghan emirs, and the Sikh maharajas, and after the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 it was seized by the East India Company and presented to Queen Victoria in 1850. In the updated Jewel House exhibition of 2023, its history is described as a "symbol of conquest."
Practical Information
The Jewel House is located in the Waterloo Barracks and is the most popular part of the Tower of London, where the longest queue gathers. The route is one-way: visitors pass the main exhibits on a moving walkway. I advise going to the Jewel House immediately upon entering the Tower, otherwise after noon the queue may stretch for half an hour or more. If your budget allows, an Early Access ticket allows you to enter the Jewel House before it opens to the general public, with virtually no queue. Admission is included in the general Tower of London ticket; no separate ticket is needed.
What a Tourist Must See in the Tower of London
• The White Tower — the oldest building and the collection of weapons.
• The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula — the burial place of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and other executed persons.
• The Bloody Tower — the story of the princes and Raleigh`s signature on the wall.
• Traitors` Gate — the entrance from the Thames.
• The walls and towers — a walk along the walls gives a view of the Thames and the city.
• The ravens of the Tower — according to legend, if the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall. Therefore their wings are clipped and they are kept at the expense of the treasury.
Practical Information
• Address: London EC3N 4AB.
• Nearest Underground station: Tower Hill (District and Circle lines).
• Opening hours: usually daily, but hours change depending on the season. Check the schedule on the official website.
• Tickets: it is recommended to buy in advance online. Queues at the entrance can be long.
• Allow for your visit: 2.5–3 hours.
The Tower of London is not a museum in the usual sense. It is a place where history is not just told, but experienced. Here you can see where kings lived, where they were held, where they died. And, importantly, there are almost no attempts here to embellish the past — the Tower shows it as it was
