Learn English With Photos 17 — The Tower Of London

Hello and welcome to episode seventeen of Learn English With Photos. My name is Jeffrey Hill and I’m going to

be using some photos I’ve taken to help you improve your English vocabulary and practise your speaking skills.

In October 2013 I spent a day in London with a small group of French students from the EM Normandie, where

I work as an English teacher. In the morning we went on the London Eye — a visit described in episode sixteen

of Learn English With Photos. Then, after watching the Changing of The Guard at Horse Guards Parade, we

made our way to the Tower of London, which we were all looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately, it started

raining just as we arrived and didn’t stop for the rest of the afternoon — this is London, after all! Still, I was well

equipped with waterproof clothing, and managed to take some photos despite the murky weather.

In fact, I hadn’t been to the Tower of London since I was in Primary School — nearly 50 years ago! I don’t

suppose The Tower has changed much since then, but the surrounding area certainly has with new City office

buildings like the Shard and the Gherkin shooting up all over the place. The various exhibitions inside the Tower

have also evolved and now feature all sorts of interactive, multi-media exhibits which would have been

unheard of in the sixties.

But before we talk about what there is to see and do, let’s begin with a bit of history.

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 was founded towards the end of 1066 as part

of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by

William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new

ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose. A

grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several

buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of

expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times and

controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a

treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels

of the United Kingdom. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under

the Tudors, the Tower became less used as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the

castle its defences lagged behind developments in the field of artillery.

The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had

fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, were held within its walls. This use has led to

the phrase "to be sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, only

seven people were executed within the Tower before the two World Wars of the 20th century. Executions

were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle. In the latter half of the 19th

century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings

empty. In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison, and witnessed the

executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired

and the castle reopened to the public. Today the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist

attractions. The Tower is now cared for by the Historic Royal Palaces charity and is protected as a World

Heritage Site.

We’d booked our tickets in advance on the internet to avoid the queues, but, no doubt because of the rain,

there weren’t any. There’s plenty to see and do at the Tower, and you could easily spend a whole day there.

We just had an afternoon, so here are some of the highlights.

One of the first things you notice are the men wearing the distinctive red and black uniforms. These are the

Yeomen Warders, ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London who are popularly known as Beefeaters. In

principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners in the Tower and safeguarding the British crown

jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right.

The ravens of the Tower of London are a group of captive Common Ravens which live in the Tower. According

to a superstition dating back over 300 years, there must be six of the birds or else the monarchy, the kingdom

and the Tower itself will fall. Unfortunately, two of the birds were eaten by a fox in 2013, but luckily they had

two extra ones at the time.

The White Tower houses one of Britain’s three Royal Armouries, the country’s oldest museum, and one of the

oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world. There are

even suits of armour for horses!

Many prisoners of the Tudors entered the Tower of London through the Traitors' Gate. The gate was built by

Edward I, to provide a water gate entrance to the Tower. Prisoners were brought by barge along the Thames,

passing under London Bridge, where the heads of recently executed prisoners were displayed on pikes. Queen

Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas More entered the Tower by Traitors' Gate.

The Bloody Tower acquired its name in the mid-16th century because it was believed to be the place where the

Princes in the Tower were murdered by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later to become King Richard

III. The upper chamber has a display about the princes’ disappearance.

Despite popular fiction, the Tower of London never had a permanent torture chamber. In fact, only a tiny

fraction of prisoners held at the Tower were tortured. The Tower's reputation for torture and imprisonment

derives largely from 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century romanticists. The Privy Council had

to sanction the use of torture, so it was not often used. Between 1540 and 1640, the peak of imprisonment at

the Tower, there were only 48 recorded cases of the use of torture. An exhibition at the bottom of the

Wakefield Tower provides a short account of the history of torture at the Tower and has some life-size replicas

including one of the infamous rack.

Of course, no visit to the Tower of London would be complete without seeing the Crown Jewels, which attract

millions of visitors every year. The Jewel House at the Tower has been used for the secure storage of these

precious ceremonial objects, including the Imperial State Crown, since the early 14th century. Although

attempts have been made to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower, notably by Colonel Blood in 1671, none

have succeeded. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos of the Crown Jewels, so I’ve had to make

do with this one from the Internet.

Our visit ended with the customary visit to the gift shop, where we bought postcards and souvenirs – and no, I

did not buy a crown. In spite of the rain, we enjoyed our trip to the Tower and I would certainly recommend it

to anyone who is interested in English history and traditions. Just make sure you take an umbrella!

Since the first part of this episode is longer than usual, I’m not going to go through the vocabulary, though you

can find a glossary in the accompanying PDF file on iTunes U. Instead, let’s move straight on to the questions. I

suggest you stop the recording to give yourself time to answer. And don’t just answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, try give as

much information as possible. OK, the first question is …

Vocabulary

Anne Boleyn — Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King Henry VIII

armour — metal clothing that soldiers wore in the middle ages to protect their bodies

armoury — a building where weapons are kept

artillery — large powerful guns used by an army

bank — a raised area of land along the side of a river

barge — a long flat boat used on rivers and canals

Beefeater — nickname for a yeoman warder at the Tower of London

besiege — to surround a place with an army and prevent the people there from getting food and supplies

Blitz — the bombing of British cities by German aircraft in 1940 and 1941

book — to buy tickets in advance

castle — large strong building with thick walls, built in the past to protect the people inside from being

attacked

century — a period of 100 years, usually counted from a year ending in –00

clothing — clothes of a particular type

complex — a group of buildings together, or a building that has several parts

concentric — concentric circles all have the same centre

conquest — the process of taking control of land or people during a war

crown — a circular decoration that a king or queen wears on their head as a symbol of power, often

decorated with jewels

crown jewels — the crown, jewellery, and other valuable objects that a king or queen wears or carries

during ceremonies

disgrace — the loss of other people's respect because of something bad that you have done

display — an arrangement of things for people to look at

Edward I — King of England from 1272 to 1307

elite — a small group of people who have a lot of advantages and keep the most power and influence

Elizabeth I — queen regnant of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in 1603

enduring — lasting for a long time

espionage — attempts to discover your enemy's political, military, or industrial secrets using secret

methods.

execute — to kill someone as a punishment for a crime

execution — the killing of someone as a punishment for a crime

exhibit — an object that is part of an exhibition

exhibition — a public show where art or other interesting things are put so that people can go and look at

them

feature — if something features a particular person or thing, they are an important part of it

fortress — a strong well-protected building used for defending a place

found — to start building a new town, or forming a new community

fox — a wild animal similar to a small dog, with red-brown fur, a pointed face, and a thick tail

gate — a door in a fence or wall that you go through to enter or leave a place

gift shop — a shop selling things that people like to give and receive as presents

Henry III — King of England from 1216 until his death in 1272

highlights — the most exciting, impressive, or interesting parts of an event

inflict — to cause something unpleasant to happen

kingdom — a country or area ruled by a king or queen

lag behind — to not be as successful or advanced as another person, organization, or group

layout — the way in which something such as a room, building, or city is arranged

location — the place or position where someone or something is or where something happens

menagerie — a large collection of wild animals kept in cages etc

moat — a deep wide hole, usually filled with water, that surrounds a castle as protection against attack

monarchy — the king or queen and their family in a particular country

murder — the crime of killing someone deliberately

murky — dark and difficult to see through, especially because of bad light

notorious — famous for something bad

oppression — unfair and cruel treatment by a powerful person or government

palace — large building, especially one used as the official home of a royal family, president, etc.

peak — the time when something is at its highest or greatest level

pike — a weapon used in the past, consisting of a long pole with a blade at one end

Princes in the Tower — the two sons of King Edward IV of England who were imprisoned in the Tower and

never seen again

prison — a place where people are kept as punishment for committing a crime

Privy Council — a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically a monarch

prominent — important and well known

queue — a line of people waiting for something

rack — instrument of torture used for punishing people by stretching their arms and legs

raven — a large bird with shiny black feathers

replica — an accurate copy of something

reputation — the opinion that people have about how good or how bad someone or something is

residence — a house or other place where someone lives, especially a large house used by an important

person

Richard the Lionheart — King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death in 1199

Royal Mint — the institution that makes coins in the UK

safeguard — to protect something or someone from being harmed or having problems

sanction — to give official approval or permission for an action

souvenir — an object you buy to remind you of a place you have visited

steal — to take something that belongs to someone else without permission

suit of armour — armour that protects the wearer's whole body

superstition — a belief that things such as magic or luck have the power to affect your life

Thomas More — Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII who was tried for treason and beheaded

torture — extreme physical pain caused by someone or something, especially as a punishment

tourist attraction — a place that people visit for pleasure and interest, usually while they are on holiday

traitor — someone who tells secrets about their own country to a country that is its enemy

treasury — the government department responsible for a country's financial matters

Tudors — English royal dynasty lasting from 1485 to 1603

umbrella — an object that you hold over your head when it is raining

unheard of — something that is unheard-of is very unusual or has never happened before

war — fighting between two or more countries that involves the use of armed forces

waterproof — waterproof clothes keep you dry because they do not let rain pass through them

William the Conqueror — first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087

witness — to see something happen, for example a crime or an accident

Yeoman Warder — guard at the Tower of London

Questions

1. Have you ever been to London? If so, when did you go and what did you do?

2. Would you like to visit the Tower of London?

3. Why do you think the Tower of London is so popular with tourists?

4. What other tourist attractions do you know in London?

5. How would you prepare for a trip to London?

6. What period of history are you most interested in?

7. What’s the most interesting historical monument you have visited?

8. Which historical monument would you most like to visit?

9. How important is it to preserve historic buildings like the Tower of London?

10. What do you think we can learn by visiting historical monuments like the Tower of London?