Take A Terrifying Trip To The Famous Tower Of London

0 Comments | 15 Jan 2024

London has many famous buildings that you can enjoy on a luxury private tour, but the Tower of London is something just that but different. Built by William the Conqueror, this was never meant to be just another castle or royal residence.

While the focus of some famous buildings might be their architecture, artistic treasures, or the grand affairs of church and state that have taken place there (and often still do), the Tower of London is perhaps most famous for its historic role as a prison where many enemies of kings of queens in centuries past met a grisly end.

Prepare for grim tales of blood and pain! Much of this happened in the imposing White Tower, a must-see that contains a Romanesque chapel and the Royal Armouries collection. However, its top floor saw many beheadings of prisoners, the last in 1747.

The basement is believed to be where the confession of Guy Fawkes was extracted under gruesome torture in 1605. If you are interested in the Gunpowder Plot, you can enjoy an interactive visitor experience themed on this highly significant incident in English history.

This and other grim fates of prisoners are not the whole story, of course; for the bastion is also the home of the Crown Jewels, the very crown and other regalia used last year in the coronation of King Charles III. The collection of over 100 items has been kept in the Tower since the 1660s.

It was also a residence of kings from the 1200s, with St Thomas’s Tower, the Wakefield Tower and the Lanthorn Tower combining to form comfortable quarters fit for a king or queen.

The most famous residents of the Tower, however, are the uniformed yeomen, known as the Beefeaters, who act as warders and carry out tours, as well as the famous ravens. There is a story that if the ravens ever leave, the Tower will fall. But having stood for nearly 1,000 years, there is absolutely no sign of that.