Tower of London

Today Kevin and I went to the Towers of London! It is crazy how much history is packed into one facility! Even from the information we got from the tour and the signs around the royal grounds, I had to do my own research to make sense of this place. I don't even know how to start there is just so that happened and so many Monarchs that walked through the halls of the Tower!

The building includes an outer-wall, inner-wall and finally the main tower itself (also referred to as a castle in some cases) So now, I figure the best way to discuss everything the Towers has to offer is to break it down by building/exhibitions

The White Tower

The White Tower was the only piece to this royal ground when William the Conquerer first began building it around 1080. The additions to the facility began almost 150 years later until eventually there were 21 towers in total.
This became the official "home" of the Royal family from the time it was built until the very beginning of 1600. It was the home to  King Richard II and III, King Henry VI and VII, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I, and so many more! They lived on the 2nd floor of the tower, there was a banquet hall  and st. john's chapel on the 1st floor, kitchen and the servants lived on the first floor and the basement was used as a dungeon at one point, and later as a wine cellar!
Today, the White Castle holds some of the previous Royal family's collectibles such as their armor, swords and guns. For more information on the White Towers (and trust me, there is a lot of history in just this building alone!) here are some links: White Tower 1, White Tower 2

Armor

St. John's Chapel

The Bloody Tower

This tower was used frequently to hold some of the state's prisioners. Its original name was the Garden Tower, but its name was later changed after the multiple gruesome deaths that took place in just this tower. It is famous for the deaths of the two young princes, Edward V and his brother Richard the Duke of York, who were around the ages of 9 and 12 at the time of their death. They were living in the Garden Tower when the mysteriously disappeared, and not found until hundreds of years later during restoration work on the White Tower. It was also the tower that imprisioned Henry Pearcy, Sir Thomas Overbury, multiple bishops and archbishops and was the site of Henry VI's death.  Links to more information about the Bloody Tower and those associated with it: The Princes in the Tower, The Bloody Tower

The Green

This spot was commonly used for the beheading of prisioners. If you were beheaded here and not in front of the public it was to prevent bad publicity. Others prisioners were taken to another location, right outside the towers to be executed for the public eye. There have been 3 Queens that were executed on this spot as well: Queen Anne Boleyn (wife of Henry VIII), Queen Katharine Howard (also the wife of Henry VIII), and Lady Jane Grey (who was only Queen for 3 days or something very short). Several others have been executed on this spot as well. More information: Tower Green 1, Tower Green 2

East Wall

The east wall is composed of several towers: Salt Tower, Broad Arrow Tower, Constable Tower, Martin Tower, & Bowyer Tower. There really wasn't much on these towers, but they have all held prisioners - some have even left their engravings on the walls of these towers. They were all also essential in the defense of the grounds and the Royal family. 

Chapel of St. Peter and Vincula

I was unable to take pictures in the chapel (it is actually a federal crime, so it wasn't worth the risk.... unless the guard was teasing me, but I have a feeling he wasn't.) It is said to be the 2nd most important church in England, following Westminster. Beneath the chapel is the burial place for majority of those executed at the Towers - when Queen Victoria had the chapel renovated and asked that the floor be leveled, they found close to 1,500 behead skeletons beneath the old floors!! Some of the bodies beneath the chapel included the 3 Queens that were executed on the green, 2 Roman Catholic Saints, and many others! More info: Chapel 1, Chapel 2

The Crown Jewels
I can know say I have seen the worlds 2nd largest diamond. It is 530 carrots and is about the size of my palm. If you can't grasp that, then just trust me, its HUGE. The Tower of London is home to what appeared to be all the jewels that England uses for the coronation of their Kings and Queens. However, all these jewels are much younger then the towers themselves! After the civil war and the execution of King Charles I in 1649, all crowns and symbols of the monarchy were destroyed. After peace had restored and Charles II was invited back into England, a new line of crown jewels had to be made. It is these jewels and the ones made thereafter that are now on display here! I wasn't able to take any pictures of these jewels, but I found a few on these sites to help give you a visual of what I got to witness! For more information: Crown Jewels

What did I tell you, large diamond or what???

some other facts that didn't really fit into any of the other categories above are:

- the Tower was also home to many exotic pets, such as lions, elephants, and a polar bear! (another fun fact about the polar bear, they use to put it on a leash and let it go fishing in the Thames River!)

- All of the men & women that work at the Tower today are apart British military and the also live in the tower of London as well!! This was our tour guide in his military uniform:

- just like they do at Buckingham Palace, the guards go through a special procedure for their "changing of the guards" 

- From the walls of the Tower, you get an amazing view of the Tower Bridge!!