If you're visiting London for the first time, chances are you would want to include visiting a palace in the itinerary. Will it be the Birmingham Palace to visit the Queen? :) Or the Kensington Palace where Prince William, Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family reside? :)
In our case, we didn't pick either of these palaces. We chose to visit the historical Tower of London instead.
In our case, we didn't pick either of these palaces. We chose to visit the historical Tower of London instead.
 |
| Tower of London |
 |
| Inside the grounds of Tower of London |
Why the Tower of London? It is where England's crown jewels are housed. Also, the Tower of London has a rich history - though a portion of it is dark and sad. English Queens and saints were tortured and executed there.:( I thought that visiting their final resting place would be a good way to honor them.
 |
| Entrance to Tower of London |
The Tower of London is in the top 10 sights to see when in London which means long queues. So if you're planning to visit, the best time is on weekdays during opening hours or during odd hours. Make sure to check the opening hours online since the schedule varies depending on the season.
 |
| View of the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London |
When you get inside, it's best to see the Crown Jewels first at the Waterloo Block since this is the most popular attraction and has the longest lines.
 |
| Waterloo Block |
 |
| Royal guard at the Waterloo Block |
 |
| Entrance to the Crown Jewels Exhibition |
Picture-taking isn't allowed inside the exhibition for security reasons. And like in other castle exhibitions, you'll be on a walkator when viewing the crown jewels to regulate the traffic flow. This is both for security reasons and to prevent queue buildup. But of course, if one viewing is not enough, you could line up as many times as you want. :)
After the Crown Jewels, you may want to visit the oldest structure in the fortress - the White Tower- built by William the Conqueror in 1066. (William is a Duke of Normandy who conquered England in the 11th Century.)
 |
| The White Tower |
The White Tower has a sad story though. Once upon a time (around the 15th century), there were 2 princes. The older prince, age 12, was supposed to be crowned as king because his father died. While preparing for the coronation, the 2 princes were housed at the Tower of London c/o an uncle. But the 2 princes just disappeared and the uncle ended up taking the throne.
No one knew whatever happened to the princes but in 1674, workmen near the White Tower dug up a wooden box containing two small human skeletons. It was widely accepted that they must have been the princes though nothing has been really proven - were those really their bodies? were they murdered? Anyway, the bones have since been buried at the Westminster Abbey.
 |
| The spot where the bones believed that of the Two Princes were found |
Today, the White Tower houses the armour and weaponry displayed by the Royal Armouries. Check these out -
 |
| Weaponry for jousting. Yikes! |
 |
| Canons and other artillery |
Ever wondered how the metal mesh worn by knights feel like? They have samples at the exhibition which you can touch and feel. What torture to wear such metal mesh!
There are also modern weapons in the exhibition like these embellished guns.
Do you know how many diamonds this blue enamel pistol has? 1,517 diamonds! Crazy, right?
This one is made by Tiffany & Co. and the leaves design represent leaves of 5 different kinds of woods used in gun-making.
This is a red enamel .357 Magnum embellished with diamonds. It was ordered by a jeweler for a client but it was never collected, thus it was just donated to a museum.
At the White Tower, you'll also get to visit a royal toilet! Here's how it looks like -
And you'll experience going down a long and winding staircase -
You know how thick the walls of the castle are? More than a meter thick!
The Tower has wooden pillars. I wonder how old they are. They look pretty solid! And I wonder what are the carvings for - do they have a functional purpose or just plain aesthetic?
What else is there to see at the Tower of London? This is called the Traitors' Gate.
 |
| Traitors' Gate |
This is where prisoners were brought by barge along the River Thames. Among the most famous prisoners who passed by the traitors' gate include a queen (Anne Boleyn) and a saint (Sir Thomas More). Heads of recently executed prisoners were also displayed on pikes. :(
There's also the Torture Tower.
 |
| Inside the Torture Chamber |
Inside the Torture Chamber, you'll see some of the torture mechanisms used at The Tower. So heartbreaking to think of all the people who suffered here. :(
Who were some of the most famous prisoners at the Tower who were eventually executed? 3 English queens - Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey. There was a 4th queen who was kept as a prisoner - Elizabeth I - but I think she escaped execution.
Other than royalty, the Tower also held some Catholic and Protestant prisoners. Among the Catholic martyrs who died there include St. John Fisher (1469-1535), St Philip Howard (1557-1595) and St. Thomas More (1478-1535).
BTW, if you've enough time, you might want to join a Yeoman Warders tour conducted at the London Tower. Yeoman Warders are also known as Beefeaters - they are technically Royal Bodyguards. They were nicknamed beefeaters because according to stories, in the olden times, royal bodyguards were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king's table. :)
BTW, if you've enough time, you might want to join a Yeoman Warders tour conducted at the London Tower. Yeoman Warders are also known as Beefeaters - they are technically Royal Bodyguards. They were nicknamed beefeaters because according to stories, in the olden times, royal bodyguards were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king's table. :)
Today, Yeoman Warders are required to have served in the armed forces with an honorable record for at least 22 years.
We were able to catch a portion of a Beefeater's tour and it's very entertaining. The final stop was visiting the Church of St Peter ad Vincula, the burial places of the 3 queens, 2 saints and some other people who were executed at the Tower. Picture-taking isn't allowed so here are some photos I got online so I don't forget how it looks like. Haha...
 |
| Source |
 |
| Source |
Here are my last photos at the Tower grounds -
 |
| Ravens are believed to be protectors of the Crown and Tower since the 17th century |
Lastly, let me end this post with this very meaningful Tower of London memorial sculpture designed by Brian Catling. The glass pillow with an indented shape of a head at the center is in memory of all those who were beheaded at the Tower of London.
 |
| The sculpture in honor of the people who were executed at the Tower of London |
At the outer rim of the glass on top, there are 10 names of martyrs - a combination of famous and not so famous names - to represent all those who died at the Tower.
Then at the outer rim of the bigger circle at the bottom, there's a poem written by Catling which says - "Gentle visitor pause awhile, where you stand death cut away the light of many days. Here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life, may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage under these restless skies." Yes, may they rest in peace.
