Tower of London

Situated on the North bank of the River Thames next to Tower Bridge, stands the Tower of London, founded by William the Conqueror following the famous 'Battle of Hastings' in 1066.

Over 900 years old, the castle has been a palace, a menagerie, a fortress and an observatory, but- most famously - a place of torture and executions. It is one of the world's major tourist attractions and has been improved and extended over time with additional towers and walkways to make it an extremely impressive castle.

Many of the towers held prison cells, and Royal executions took place on Tower Green, most famously, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, who was beheaded in 1536 on charges of adultery, incest and treason.

The White Tower held torture chambers, and hundreds of public executions of spies, thieves and traitors were carried out here. Being the site of so much death, some say it is one of the most haunted places in Britain, with many tales of ghosts being sighted.

Since the Tower's earliest days men were provided to ward the prisoners and attend the gates. Today the Yeoman Warders are responsible for the security of the Tower and its visitors. They control the gates and the Wharf, and can be seen dressed in the elaborate Royal Livery. They also conduct guided tours of the Tower.

When the Tower closes to the public each day, the tradition of locking up the Tower is carried out at 9.30pm. This is known as The Ceremony of the Keys. Small groups are allowed to observe this ritual, free of charge, by writing to the Tower in advance at, Tower of London, London, EC3N 4AB.

It is still very relevant to secure the Tower each day as, although there are no Royals residing here, the Tower houses the the priceless Crown Jewels and has done so since 1303 after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. They are kept in the Jewel House and are said to be the greatest working collection of Crown Jewels in the world.

You will probably notice the ravens during your visit. Legend has it that should the ravens ever leave the Tower of London the White Tower will crumble and a great disaster shall befall England. The ravens are obviously allowed to stay; in fact they are bedded down each evening in their nesting sheds by the Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster.

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