London is brimming with history at every turn and it is often best experienced on foot to see the beautiful architecture and the converge of the old and the new. Despite living a short distance from London with easy access to public transport, there are several iconic and historic buildings in London I haven’t visited. The Tower of London in particular. Over the years I have been visiting Royal historic buildings such as Windsor Castle (read my review) and Buckingham Palace. I thought it was only fitting that I visited another important structure of British Royal history. Entrance to the Tower is via a pre-paid ticket with an allocated time slot, I visited around 11 am and it was very busy, not peak time but still enough to need to queue for the entrance. I arrived by boat at Tower Pier that is a short walk from the entrance.
Once inside the imposing fortress visitor have the choice of joining a Yeoman talk and tour or exploring alone. I chose to start at the battlements that snake around the outskirts of the area, with each room showcasing different periods such as the Great War and how the role of the Tower changed to become a military base and training for men. Other rooms explored the menagerie of Royal Beasts that was once housed at the tower with wild animals such as monkeys and lions. In 1832 these animals were removed from the premise and housed in the New London Zoo. Historically, visitors could visit and walk among the animals freely, that was until a boy was attacked by a monkey and the practice stopped. This area was rather dull with many rooms not being dressed in anyway to captivate the imagination or convey a lot of information. An audio guide was available for a price, which I didn’t have so I wonder if more information would have been provided on that. I don’t think the battlements were particularly accessible for many who may not want to use an audio guide – I for one don’t like the idea of not knowing if the audio headset have been cleaned between use. Warning that there are many spiral stairs that made me slightly dizzy and the next day my knees were burning. This isn’t the most easiest route to explore, especially with crowds. But, the views of London, that rest of the Tower fortress and the Thames was spectacular.
The Crown Jewels was the main attraction for my visit and one that I was eagerly awaiting. However, it was overcrowded and the information was sparse. Several display cases were cleverly displayed with a conveyor belt that visitor stood on top and were taken past crowns. I did like this aspect that helped crowd control and I wished this was used for more displays in museums and exhibition in other historical sites. This made sense to help the flow of visitors. I think the exhibition needed more photography to help tell the story and history of the jewels to bring a sense of context. I would have been interested in learning more about the recent coronation and which jewels were used and the ceremony, especially as this is recent history and something I watched on tv.
Another main attraction was the tower used to hold prisoners. It was fascinating to see the names carved into the walls of former prisoners and how those people chose to leave a mark and legacy while waiting for execution. There is a memorial of where Boleyn was executed, which I appreciate the gesture in creating a memorial, but was tainted by many visitors posing and taking photos. I think this was slightly insensitive and maybe the memorial could have done more to tell Boleyn and other prisoner’s stories. I found the history of the Yeoman really interesting and how the role was reformed by the Duke of Wellington and how their families still live on site. I can think of worse places to live then inside a fortress! I would have liked to learn more about what life is like now at the Tower and how this is impacted by the influx of visitors and tourists.
Final thoughts
As a place of historic importance I think this is definitely a place to visit, especially taking the boat to the pier below for a fun journey and to see the walls up close (this isn’t a part of the Tower of London just public transport) and I was interested to see inside this famous fortress. Seeing ‘Traitor’s Gate’ was a highlight and the ravens up close. There are a lot of empty rooms or rooms with text panels and not much else so be warned that maybe an audio guide will provide a fuller experience. The main events to see are the Crown Jewels and the tower that kept prisoners. Both I think could have done with more immersive curating, especially the Tower that housed notable prisoners such as Anne Boleyn. There is no doubt that there is a lot to see, albeit accessible by many stairs. It is a work out! Overall, it was lacking in some places and relied on the walls and architecture and general look of the rooms rather than storytelling. Maybe having actors dressed up and performing for visitors? Something that was more interactive and brought history to life. The one thing that is important with history is finding areas that visitors can relate with in modern life and then looking back in time and creating a a point of reference for visitors that sparks imagination.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently querying literary agents with her Pirates of the Caribbean X Bridgerton debut fantasy novel. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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