The Tower of London

The Tower of London was build in the 11th century. It was planned by William the Conqueror to keep London under the control of his government and to defend the city. The oldest part of the Tower is the Square building called the White Tower.

There are other towers-St.Thomas, the Bloody Tower, the Tower Green. Once it was a royal residence, a strong fortress and a state prison and even a royal zoo.

Nowadays the Tower is guarded by the Yeomen warders, the famous “Beefeaters”, dressed up in traditional medieval clothes. But this can’t make us forget the cruel bloody past of the Tower.

Kings mostly came to the Tower water, in daylight. They often came accompanied by beautiful ladies and musicians, in boats decorated with silk and flowers. But there were a lot of boats sailing by night Traitors’ Gate. No music, no flowers, just a dink of swords, a sound of chains on the poor victims’ hands and infamous people were kept there.

Among them there was Queen Elizabeth, who was sent there, by Mary Tudor, the children of King Edward were strangled there, Richard II and Henry VI were murdered, Henry VIII sent to the Tower- and to their death- two of his six wives; lady Jane Gray- she was only 16, was beheaded there.

At present many people visit the Tower as a museum. They can see the dungeons and the torture chambers there. There are always ravens at the Tower. There are six of them now and they are kept there because there’s a legend which dates from long ago that as long as there are ravens at the Tower, Britain will continue to exist. The ravens are fed twice a day, they are under the special care of the Raven Master.