Here's the latest on our travels abroad!
Tower of London
The site of the Tower of London
has its beginnings in Roman times, and the current structures date from William
the Conqueror (1066) forward. Until the reign of Henry VIII, it was used
as one of the royal residences (technically it still is..), but from the 15th
century forward it had a more sinister reputation. The grounds consist of
several buildings.
The
White Tower was one of the original constructs and has served many different
functions throughout its history. It was originally the chief residence of
the royal family, and for many years was a major
armory. Today it is the main exhibition site and on display are some of
the armor that Henry VIII wore - he was 6 feet 4 inches tall, and his suit is
impressive!
But
the Tower (and all its collective buildings) is better
known
as a prison,
where enemies of state were imprisoned and often executed. Many famous people
were held here, including
Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of Henry VIII's wives that didn't quite
make the the grade.
There
is also the tragic tale of the two Princes, who were kept
here and murdered by their uncle so that he could
ascend to the throne.
Other luminaries imprisoned here include, Sir Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh, and
countless others.
Our tour,
narrated by one of the Yeoman Warders, allowed us a
good history of the palace, with all its bloody
history. There were also
several docents giving demonstrations of what life would have been like during
several periods of the Tower's history.
The
Tower of London also is the repository for the
Crown Jewels, and we were astounded at the
size of some of the stones in crowns, scepters and other regal trappings.
In fact, the display was so stunning, we went back through the line to view the
jewels again!