The Tower of London The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in London, England. It’s real name is “Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress”. It’s known as the Tower of London because of his most important tower: the White Tower. The oldest part of the castle was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, to protect the city from invaders. It has also been a royal palace, a prison, a tresury, an armoury…

The Tower of London, next to the River Tames, from the air

HISTORY When the Normands conquered England the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, became the king. He wanted to protect the city of London from any invader, so he built a tower next to the river Thames, the White Tower.

The White Tower, built by William the Conqueror, in the XIth century

Then, in the XIIth century it was used as a prison Then, in the XIIth century it was used as a prison. In the same century, Richard I of England - known as Richard the Lionheart - built a wall around the White Tower, and also a pit, using the Thames’ water. Later, in the XIIIth century, Henry III of England used the Tower of London as his main royal residence. It was the royal palace during more than 400 years, until the XVIIIth century. The Tower of London had other uses in the next centuries. Some more buildings were made there until today, like a second wall and some towers.

ARCHITECTURE

Parts of the castle: The White Tower. It’s the oldest and the biggest building in the castle. It’s a very complex building, and it’s got some smaller towers on the corners. It’s 27 meters high, and it has got 3 floors.

The Tower of London has got three wards. Innermost ward. It’s in the south of the White Tower, strecthing to what was once the bank of the River Thames. Origillinary, this ward was surrounded by a protective ditch.

Inner ward. It was built by Richard the Lionheart Inner ward. It was built by Richard the Lionheart. It had the original pit, made by this king. Outer ward. It was created during Edward I’s extension to the Tower.

There are 20 towers in the castle, built in different periods of time and with a different styles. Here are some examples. The Wakefield Tower. It was King Henry III’s palace. This is one of the biggest towers. The Beauchamp Tower. It’s walls are full of things that prisioners wrote centuries ago. The tower has got the name of a Count who died there. The Bloody Tower: it was a luxurious prison for important people who were. Lots of people were tortured and murdered there.

LEGENDS During the centuries, the Tower of London was a prison where lots of cruel tortures and bloody executions took place. There are some legends about ghosts and ravens in the castle. For example, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry III, was executed there, accused of things she didn’t do. Lots of years later, some soldiers saw a “white figure” that looked like the killed queen. Other soliders said that she was holding her head under her arm.

There is also a legend related to ravens There is also a legend related to ravens. These birds have lived near the White Tower during a lot of years. People think that if the ravens leave the building, England will fall. Nowadays, ravens have their wings cut, so they can’t escape, and they are fed with lots of food, so they don’t want to leave. Nowadays, there are 6 ravens, and they have got names.

And they’re impossible to explain. A lot of mysterious and terrifying things have happened there hundreds of times – strange noises, lots of ghosts, objects moved by nobody… And they’re impossible to explain. Manuel Rodríguez Tiralaso. 3º ESO B