Today has been one of my favorite days spent in London. We woke up, had breakfast, and had class as usual. After class, we grabbed a quick lunch and then made our way to the tube station. We were taking the tube to Tower Hill so that we could go to the Tower of London. The Tower of London began in 1078 during the reign of William the Conqueror. After being used as a royal palace, it was mainly used as a prison. Several people were imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded there, including: Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Even Elizabeth, future Queen was imprisoned there during the reign of her Catholic older sister Mary. Sir Walter Raleigh was also imprisoned here before he was executed. The tour through the Tower of London site was led by a Yeoman Warders. He was very knowledgeable. I found it very interesting that they live at the Tower of London site with their families. The Yeoman Warder took us into the Chapel Royal of St. Peter and Vincula. It is here where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey’s headless bodies are buried.
Here is our tour guide. He is a Yeoman Warder. He was very nice but of course, he had the usual American jokes. "Where are you from?" Answer: The United States. "I'm sorry." (said in a way to make you think he didn't hear you. Reply: The United States. "I know, I said I'm sorry." Or my absolute favorite, are you here for holiday or just to learn the language?
This is White Tower.
I don't know if you can see them but there are black ravens here. Their wings have been clipped because it is rumored that if they fly away from the Tower of London, all of the towers will crumble.
This is the building where the Crown Jewels are stored. You aren't allowed to take pictures in this exhibit so I won't be able to show you some of them. But if you google the jewels that I mention later on the the blog, you'll be able to see them!
One of the guards that watches over the Crown Jewels.
After leaving the chapel, we headed over to the queue for the Crown Jewels. If the English have ever mastered anything, it is the queue. They are so efficient. The way they have them set up for the Crown Jewels allows hundreds of people to get in and out of there in a short amount of time. We were all so shocked at how quickly we were able to get in. The Crown Jewels housed at the Tower of London consist of several swords, orbs, sceptres, and crowns used during the coronation ceremonies of the monarchs. The Crown Jewels date back to 1661. This is because all previous jewels were destroyed by Parliament after Charles I was executed in 1649. On the tour, I learned that one of the sceptres, the Sceptre with the Cross was rebuilt in 1990 to include the Great Star of Africa Diamond, one of the largest diamonds in the world. I was also able to see the Imperial Crown of India. It was absolutely beautiful. Some of the stones in the crowns I saw were so big that they nearly looked fake, but you best believe they were not. It was just so amazing and beautiful. I just stood in awe in front of all the mesmerizing jewels.
From there, we went over to the White Tower. I really enjoyed the White Tower. There I was able to see several suits of armour worn by different monarchs such as Henry VIII and Charles I, swords, the military uniforms worn by Prince William and Harry, and also several very old guns, including rifles and pistols. Several cannons of different sizes can also be found at White Tower. It was a very large museum type building that housed several weapons and suits of armour. There was also a section of the building that showed replicas of each horse and the monarch that rode it. I found everything there very interesting.
The armour of Henry VIII & his horse!
swords!
The uniforms of Prince William and Harry!
Replica horses of past kings.
A child's armour!
A giant's armour! This guy stood at 7'2''
A double barrelled wheellock pistol.
guns!
This was the worst spiral stair case ever. I was getting so dizzy that I almost fell.
cannons!
Next, we went to the Bloody Tower. This tower housed replicas of torture devices used there. These torture devices included the Scavenger’s Daughter. According to the plaque at the tower, this device folded a person’s body into thirds: chest to thighs and then thighs to calves. The prisoner is then locked inside compressing the body so much that it is nearly crushed. I also saw the Rack. The victim’s wrists were tied to the top and ankles to the bottom. A crank was used to gradually pull them apart, which led to the dislocation of joints and often the separation of limbs from the body.
I really enjoyed the Tower of London. I loved all of the historical information that was presented to me. I found all of it very fascinating. I loved being able to see the Crown Jewels and the suits of armour that were once worn by monarchs. The Tower of London has been a fortress, a royal palace, a prison, a zoo, a mint, the house of the first royal observatory, and a tourist trap. After seeing things like this, it makes you realize just how young the United States is and how much history it lacks.
After leaving the Tower of London, Maegan, Molly, Sarah, Emily, Kathleen, and I went just across the street to a little café to get fish and chips. For 5 pounds we were able to get fish and chips, ice cream, and a drink! We could not believe how much of a deal that was. It was so delicious! I definitely plan on going back before we leave!
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