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The Tower of London 
The Tower of London, a World Heritage Site, is the U.K.'s leading historic visitor attraction. It includes so many marvellous and historic sights that it is almost impossible to single out the "best ones" for you!
For instance, you can see the magnificent Crown Jewels held in the Jewel House. The display includes cine film footage of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation which explains the role of the Crown Jewels. The Imperial State Crown is worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament and contains the second largest cut diamond in the World, the Cullinan Diamond II. The largest cut diamond in the World, known as Cullinan I is also here - in the Sceptre carried by the Queen.
Left: The Tower of London - photo courtesy
Les Baker
The second most popular visitor attraction at the Tower is the famous Ravens. These huge black birds stay in the Tower because legend has it that if the ravens ever left the Tower then "The Kingdom would fall". They are well fed, but like to snatch visitors' sandwiches as a snack! They have one or two flight feathers trimmed to prevent them from escaping and are a firm favourite with visitors from all over the world. See "Stop Press - Gaolbirds" - the news item at the end of this report.
Below: Ravens at the Tower
 In addition visitors can have conducted tours around the Tower by the Yeoman of the Guard (the "Beefeaters") who give graphic descriptions of the historical events that took place within the Tower. The tours are free. They will recount for you the gruesome tales of heads being chopped off on the block on Tower Green, and show you the actual axe used by the executioners. They also delight in telling the tales of tortures used on unlucky prisoners at the orders of powerful Kings, and they will display the instruments of torture like the thumbscrews and the dreaded Rack.
The Tower is a gem of architectural styles over the centuries. The tallest of these, the great White Tower contains a gem of Norman architecture in St. John's Chapel - built in 1100, using stone brought from Caen in Normandy and completed in pure romanesque style - known to English people as the Norman style. The White Tower was over 80ft. tall when it was constructed and it dominated the City of London - as William the Conqueror intended it to do.
During most of the year historical re-enactments of periods of the Tower's history take place, such as the stealing of the Crown Jewels in King Charles II's time, and King Edward Ist's family Christmas in the Wakefield Tower. Look out for these in the bill boards around the Tower.
The Traitor's Gate is the water gate which allowed prisoners to be brought into the tower from the River Thames , usually in the dead of night. It is an eerie and sinister place - and only too easy to picture the feelings of the poor helpless prisoners who contemplated their probable future when they passed under its arch. All except Princess Elizabeth! (later the famous Queen Elizabeth 1st.) She was imprisoned by her half sister, the vengeful Queen Mary (known as Bloody Mary). She stepped out of the boat, sat on the wet steps and refused to move until the Govenor of the Tower greeted her and personally escorted her to her lodgings in the Bell Tower. She defied everyone, and HE was - of course - mindful of the fact that she would very likely become the next Queen, and he wanted to keep his job!!! The Tower of London is - quite simply - NOT TO BE MISSED!!! For ticket information and opening hours please contact 0870 756 7070. Advance bookings to beat the queues - visit www.tower-of-london.org.uk
Group Bookings Tel: +44 0870 751 7070 or visit the Historic Royal Palaces web site at http://www.hrp.org.uk
Nearest Tube station: Tower Hill
Docklands Light Railway: Tower Gateway
Rail Station: Fenchurch Street
Riverboat: from Charing Cross Pier, Westminster Pier or Greenwich Pier - frequent riverboats.
Dickie Arbiter writes "The Tower was begun by William of Normandy after the defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in AD 1066. The exact date when work began on the Tower is unknown but thought to be around about AD 1078 with the White Tower, the central "keep", that has given its name to the whole complex we know today as The Tower of London. The Tower was a haven of refuge for kings throughout the ages during times of disorder and political instability, notably the Wars of the Roses, in AD 1470.
It was also the scene of murder and execution. Henry VI was found dead in AD 1471 and 12 year old Edward V and his young brother Richard, the sons of Edward IV, were the Tower's most tragic figures. Placed in the Tower by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester for "safe keeping", while he organised Edward's coronation, the princes mysteriously disappeared and their uncle went on to become Richard III in AD 1465.
1535: Thomas More was executed for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the Church of England
1540: Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife executed
1542: Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife executed
1554: Lady Jane Grey, "the nine day queen", is executed on the orders of Queen Mary.
1601: The Earl of Essex, one of Elizabeth I's favourite courtiers, was executed for rebelling against the Queen
1643: The Tower was seized by Parliamentarians, and remained in their hands throughout the Civil War
1660:Sightseers were admitted to the Tower for the first time
1671: The Crown Jewels are moved to what is now known as the Martin Tower, and put on show to the public.
1841: The first official guidebook was published
1914: The Tower was brought back into use as a prison during World War I, when eleven spies were held there and subsequently executed.
1941: Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, was held in the Tower and imprisoned in the Queen's House for four days. The last execution was that of the spy Joseph Jacobs"
Dickie Arbiter February 2006 "
STOP PRESS - the following news item is reproduced for interest
"Gaolbirds at the Tower!
The famous Ravens at the Tower of London are causing all sorts of problems to their keepers, the Yeoman Warders. These huge black birds are permanent residents of the Tower of London, because an old legend says that if ever the ravens leave the Tower of London “the Kingdom will fall”. The ravens have been part of the Tower’s community for over 900 years – they come from the wilder parts of Wales. So seriously was the legend taken that all through both World Wars the ravens were carefully maintained within the Tower to ensure that the legend did not have a chance to come true!
Now, with the onset of bird flu, the ravens are being carefully monitored – and because of the risk of them catching bird flu, they are having to be locked up in the pens in the Tower. They don’t like this very much – they are used to mingling with the hundreds of thousands of visitors who daily throng to the Tower, and they love being photographed. They are the second most famous attraction in the Tower (the first being the Crown Jewels of course). The ravens cannot fly away because two of their flight feathers on their left wings are routinely removed, making it almost impossible for them to achieve take-off. But a raven in a gaol is not a happy bird and the Yeoman Warder responsible for their upkeep says that they are getting stressed. So please spare a thought for the poor ravens – locked up in the worst dungeon in the world for an offence they didn’t commit! Innocent victims of
yet another tragedy in this modern world." Report by J B
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