Today, I accomplished what countless poor souls could not dream of hundreds of years ago. That is, I entered the Tower of London…and I left. Gasp! How did I achieve this? With a little help from my friends, a kindly Beefeater, the ghost of Anne Boleyn, and possibly a raven or two.
Kidding! But really though, I did visit the Tower of London today with our program. SUCH a major check off my life’s bucket list. I have only been dying to visit the Tower since at least the age of eight. Just goes to show what a strange child I was. To put it quite simply, the Tower of London is unbelievable, in the best way possible! It more than exceeded my expectations.
The historical significance of the Tower of London goes without saying. It was built by William the Conqueror as a means of intimidation for the English people, so they would be less liable to rebel against his royal authority. The White Tower was built by William, but more towers have been added over the years. The Tower was used as a royal residence, fortress, royal mint, menagerie, and most famously, a prison. The fact that it imprisoned some of the most famous people in English history, like the Princes in the Tower, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard (I could go on forever), and the fact that most prisoners, once they entered the Tower, only left once they were a few inches shorter from the neck up, has never ceased to fascinate people worldwide. I definitely am one of them!!
The White Tower, which is the central tower, housed the biggest part of the museums in the Tower. It had lots of great info and oodles of historical artifacts, like weapons, suits of armor, and medieval bathrooms. I particularly enjoyed the increasing size of Henry VIII’s armor as he got older. Such a shame he let himself go like that. I actually had to go and touch the wall to convince myself that this building was nearly 1000 years old. Simply unfathomable!
Anyone who knows me even a little knows that my love for history, especially English history, knows no bounds. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the time period of the Wars of the Roses through the Tudor dynasty. I have such a love for all those kings and queens, especially Richard III, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I. Even though more than a few of them were sort of despicable people, I love them anyway. So it’s pretty easy to understand how excited I was the entire time I was in the Tower. I find it so ironic that we as a group were so excited to be at the Tower, where the mere mention of the Tower used to strike fear into the hearts of the English people. Times have indeed changed!
Of course, no visit to the Tower is complete without a few important errands. The site where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, and so many unfortunate people were beheaded must be visited. It goes without saying that I had A MOMENT when I stopped at this area. Can you imagine one minute being Queen of England, the next a prisoner in the Tower, falsely accused of crimes you didn’t commit (well, Catherine Howard was pretty guilty actually), and the next moment, walking to your execution?? I don’t understand how some people don’t like history. It’s so fascinating!! I guess it really does go to show how truth can be stranger than fiction. But I digress.
The Bloody Tower is also an essential part of any visit to the Tower. It’s called “Bloody” because many prisoners were tortured there, usually as a part of their interrogation. Various torture devices were set out, like the rack and a device called the Scavenger’s Daughter. Yikes!! We walked up what was probably the most terrifying spiral staircase ever in the Bloody Tower. The stairs were so steep and the space was so confined that you would without a doubt tumble to your death if you even missed a step. Plus there was no railing. Very appropriate that they put this staircase in the Bloody Tower, of all places. There was also a room about the story of the Princes in the Tower, and you could vote electronically for who you thought was responsible for their disappearance and supposed deaths. Most people had voted for Richard III, but I voted for Henry VII. Even though he is a Tudor, there was definitely something suspicious about him….
The other towers were really cool as well. The Beauchamp Tower held many prisoners, and the etchings they had made in the walls while imprisoned were still intact. Some prisoners wrote poetry, some declared their innocence, and some just scratched out doodles. But it was really moving to see how different people reacted to their pitiful situation. The part of the Tower that housed the apartments of Edward I was pretty cool. Again, so much history that I had trouble handling all the awesomeness. And thanks to my Turning Points in English History class, I am able to understand better the significance of the Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Plantagenet kings, so it made things really hit home for me.
Probably one of my favorite parts of our visit to the Tower was when my friends and I stumbled upon a tour guided by a Beefeater (they are the guards of the Tower of London, are incredibly informative and entertaining, and wear awesome uniforms). Thanks to our awesome timing and the nice Beefeater who let us be on the tour despite the fact that we were part of a school group, we were able to go into the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula (Latin for St. Peter in Chains), where Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Howard (I know I keep mentioning these women, but honestly they are awesome) are buried. That was a really cool experience! Unfortunately no photos were allowed, but it was just so amazing to be so close to where all these important people are laid to rest. The Beefeater made quite a funny joke about it, actually. He quipped that whenever he tells Americans they are sitting over graves in the chapel, they are always very excited and fascinated, while the British are always a bit creeped out. I was definitely more fascinated than creeped out, for sure!
OH! How could I forget about the crown jewels!!!! The Tower also houses the crown jewels, which are used in the coronation of a new monarch, and for state events. They were breathtaking! Of course, no photos were allowed, but seeing all these beautiful crowns, tiaras, scepters, and coronation rings up close was wonderful. I was very interested in knowing how much some of those crowns weighed, because they are huge! I think if I tried to wear one, I would topple over. I’m sure it takes a lot of neck strength and balance to don one of these beauties. The jewels didn’t look real, in a way. They were just so preposterous! Especially the Koh-i-Nor diamond. Crazy!!!
I’m pretty sure you can glean from this entire post that I enjoyed myself thoroughly at the Tower of London. I had been looking forward to this excursion for quite some time, so my enjoyment was multiplied ten-fold. And I know so much of the history surrounding the Tower, so I was able to fully appreciate what I was seeing. So, you ask, what is my recommendation on how to escape the Tower of London? Be born in the twentieth/twenty-first centuries. ;)