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The Tower of London - General History
The Tower of London is located in Central London on the north bank of the river Thames. It is comprised of the original White Tower built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, surrounded by an inner wall with 13 towers, an outer wall with 5 additional towers and a moat. It has over the centuries been a palace, a prison, a zoo, the Royal Mint, an observatory, an armory and a treasury, as well as a place of execution and torture. My personal favorite is that it has been the home of the United Kingdom's crown jewels since 1303.
On my last visit to London I was only in town for about 24 hours on a long lay over so I didn't get to visit the shiny wonders again. However, I did have time to snap a pic of the Tower at Night.
This photo was taken from the nearest Tube stop to the Tower of London, Tower Hill.The Tower of London - Beheadings and Torture
While inside the torture chamber many tools were used, the best known is the Rack. These methods were used to extract information from prisoner. A charge of heresy was more likely to bring a turn on the rack. Condemned lower class criminals were usually hung. Higher profile prisoners were beheaded publicly, while women and a few other nobels were beheaded inside the complex privately. Treason was the most common reason for beheading and the list of people who lost their heads includes:
- King Baliol of Scotland (1296)
- William Wallace (1305)
- Sir Thomas Moore (1535)
- Anne Boleyn (1536)
- Thomas Cromwell (1540)
- Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
- Catherine Howard (1542)
- Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542)
- Lady Jane Grey (1554)
- Guy Fawkes (1606)
- Sir Walter Raleigh (1618)
- Last Execution(firing squad): Josef Jakobs (1941)
The Tower of London - Home of the Crown Jewels
The Tower became home to the Crown Jewels in 1303 after they had been stolen from Westminister Abbey. Most of the Crown Jewels were melted down by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 after the establishment of the Commonwealth. Upon Charles II Restoration, most of the regalia were replaced. St Edwards Crown, made in 1661, is commonly used in the coronation ceremoney. This Crown includes 444 precious stones and is purportedly heavy and uncomfortable to wear.
Imperial State Crown, British Crown Jewels housed in the Tower of London
The Imperial State Crown was made in 1937. This crown boasts 2,868 diamonds (including the Lesser Star of Africa Diamond), 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and five rubies (including the Black Princes's Ruby). The Crown Jewels kept in the tower are considered to be one of the largest jewelery collections in existence.
