

Kathy McGillick is an attorney in the United States.
#Tower of london map series
In part two of this series of articles on the Tower of London we'll take a closer look at the history of the Tower, and some of the famous (and infamous) events that have transpired within its walls. It is not quite known when the name was first used but through the ages 'Tower of London' has become the accepted term of description for the entire complex. Today the official title of the Tower is still ' Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London' although there isn't actually a single Tower of London. Kings and queens built upon the Tower over the centuries, adding walls and smaller towers (thirteen inner and six outer) and finally encircling the entire complex within a moat fed by the River Thames. The Tower was a dynamic project for the monarchs of England. This tradition relates to a superstition from the time of Charles II that when there are no longer ravens at the Tower both the White Tower and the Commonwealth of England will fall. The Tower of London ravens are flightless birds due to the fact their wings are clipped. Today it houses the keeper of the Royal Ravens. These gifts were kept near the drawbridge where Henry built Lion Tower a royal zoo where visitors would be greeted by roaring beasts. Many of these guests came with gifts of animals for the king. Henry III began to use the Tower as a prison, but at the same time, he continued to use it as a palace where he entertained important guests. Originally the caps at the top of the White Tower's four turrets were conical but were replaced by the present onion-shaped ones in the sixteenth century. The White Tower formed the basis of a residential palace and fortress suited for a king or queen, and the Tower of London became an all-purpose complex. The Normans called the tower 'La Tour Blanche' (White Tower) on account of its whitewashed exterior. He whitewashed the Great Tower, widened the grounds to include a church, and added a great hall and other buildings. This stone building came to be called The Great Tower.Īround the year 1240 King Henry III made the Tower of London his home. Within this enclosure, a stone structure was built. 86 Pennington Drive, N21 A M C Business Centre, Cumberland Avenue, NW10 Aaron Hill Road, E6 Abberley Mews, SW4 Abbess Close, E6 Abbess Close, Tulse Hill, SW2 Abbeville Road, N8 Abbeville Road, SW4 Abbey Close. The original structure was completed by the addition of a ditch and palisade along the north and west sides. Click street names for LONDON map centred on road. The Tower began as a simple timber and stone enclosure.
