Turning 50 in London on a Budget - Day 1 Continued.

After we checked in to the rental and dropped off our luggage, we ate lunch around the corner at Wetherspoon's before heading off to the Tower of London that was a quick walk down the way. The outside seemed formidbale, as a fortress should.

My Nikon camera also decided to freak out and not focus. I did all the things, but gave up and took a lot of pix with my phone. At some point we took a bathroom break and I fiddled with it again - fixing whatever the issue was. Afterwards, my oldest and husband went to the grocery when we got back. I fell asleep before they left. My youngest also ended up falling asleep shortly after they left. I mean we were jet-lagged. We had noodles and meat sauce for dinner - part of our cost-cutting strategy. We try to get places where we have access to a ktichen and just cook simple meals. We DO eat at local restaurants here and there so we can sample the local flare, but most meals are homemade in the rental unit. That includes making sandwiches to take with us and a few snacks. Again, that is not to say we don't pop in places to grab a snack or a meal, but the majority of it is homemade.

Another thing we did that got mixed reviews when I was doing research was we got the London Pass. WIth it there are sites that you get "free entry" for. We used it to see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge Experience, Palaces & Parliament Walking Tour, witnessed the changing of the guard (not the regular one as the Queen's Guard was practicing Trooping of the Colour, so we actauly saw all 3 branches of the military doing the jobs the Queen's Guard usually does), Westminster Abbey, and Shakepear's Globe (my favorite of the whole London experience). The cost individually far exceeded the cost of the pass. There were a few others we did not see due to time. We only spent 4 days in London.

Panoramic of the Tower.

THE TOWER.

The Tower of London started with the White Tower (actually painted white) - an example of Norman Military architecture originally built by William the Conquerer in 1066. It was strategically placed on the Thames at a military-advantaged bend in the river, and a display of Norman power. Towering over London at the time, it took 20 years to build, and served as a gateway into the capital city as well as a fortress to protect it. The Tower of London is a rare example of the most complete 11th century palace fortress in all of Europe. For 500 years it was a luxurious palace for the monarch; although, the luxurious palace that was built south of the White Tower has long since disappeared. This palace is where Anne Boleyn both stayed the night prior to her coronation and was imprisoned before her execution for adultery.³

The fortress continued to evolve and expand though the 16th century. It has played major roles in pivotal points in European history - including the execution of 3 Queens: Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Jane Gray - all married to Henry VIII. “After their execution, the headless bodies of the queens were buried quickly and carelessly under the Chapel without any memorial.

In 1876, when the Chapel was restored, the remains were unearthed, including those of Anne Boleyn, and were reburied beneath a marble pavement, inscribed with their names and coats of arms.”³

The tower gives a rare peek into the life of the medieval monarchy. It is the home to the Crown Jewels and has been since the 17th century, but has also held a major role in storing historical documents and other valuable Crown goods since the 13th century. It was also the repository of the Royal Wardrobe1 (“the administrative center of the king’s household and traveled with the king.”²) “Throughout history, the Tower has been adapted and developed to defend and control the nation.

Henry III (1216-72) and Edward I (1272-1307) expanded William’s fortress, adding huge ‘curtain’ (defensive) walls with a series of smaller towers, and enlarging the moat.

They also transformed the Tower into England’s largest and strongest ‘concentric’ castle (with one ring of defenses inside another).

Inside, the medieval kings built magnificent royal lodgings.”³

“The Tower also controlled the supply of the nation’s money. All coins of the realm were made at the Tower Mint from the reign of Edward I until 1810.”³

“The Tower of London has also been the infamous setting for stories of royal tragedy and death. During the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI was supposedly murdered while at prayer inhe King’s Private Chapel in the Wakefield Tower in 1471.³

Later, the children of his great rival Edward IV – the Princes in the Tower - vanished within its walls in 1483.

In 1674, two skeletons were unearthed at the Tower. The bones were re-examined in 1933 and proved to be those of two boys aged about 12 and 10—the same ages as the princes when they disappeared.”³ At the writing of this in 2026, they had comfirmed that they were indeed the bones, but will not make any statements to the effect as to not show the monarch in a bad light.

During the Reformation is where it’s notorious reputation for torture came from - which I guess is more the image I had in my head. Signs within the tower claim that torture was rare. Well, history is written by the winners so I would guess it was worse than the Crown wants to admit.

Queen Elizabeth I was also imprisoned here, but was released to take her place when her sister died.

For 800 years, the tower was a prison. “During the Tudor age, the Tower became the most important state prison in the country. Anyone thought to be a threat to national security came here. Even in the 20th century, German spies were brought here and shot.“

The Crown Jewels are stored here. It was an interesting time as Queen Elizabeth had died. The majority of things with her - cypher? crest? stamp? idk what to call it - were still there, except on the building with the crown jewels. The EIIR had been changed to CRIII.

This was a new change. Charles Rex III replaced his mother's Elizabeth II Regina. E II R is still on all of the road bollards, but it was suggested they may be changed out soon as well. There is a question of cost with the King being quite advanced in age and dealing with prostate cancer.

No cameras were allowed inside here. I am not really sure why not because all of the stones for the crowns had been removed so it was "naked" crown bases on display. I guess those could be worth quite a bit alone being made of gold or silver (just guessing).

REFERENCES:

¹ https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/488/

² https://medievalroyalwardrobelexis.wordpress.com/the-royal-wardrobe/

³https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-story-of-the-tower-of-london/#gs.bg3qfg