Tower Of London
Hotels Near Tower Of London
TOWER OF LONDON
Her Majesty`s Royal Palace and Fortress, is best known to most people as the Tower of London.
The Tower is situated on the banks of the river Thames, and located in the borough of Tower Hamlets, east of the city. This famous London landmark, dates back as far as 1078, and is packed with history, mystery and intrigue.
The tower`s main function when it was first built was that of a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison. The towers most famous prisoner was probably Queen Elizabeth 1. Who was kept for a period of time, before being released, and then ruling over Britain`s golden age.
Many other famous prisoners were held and tortured in the tower, but were not as lucky as Elizabeth. Most lower class criminals were publicly hanged, at sites just outside the tower. More high profile prisoners such as Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, were all publicly beheaded on the tower hill.
Death for many of the common prisoners was probably a huge relief, after months spent inside the torture chambers. The tower was notorious for inventing many implements of torture. Some of the devices used were those such as, Scavengers daughter a device that would compress your body, slowly squeezing the life from you.
One of the most famous and feared was the rack. This was given the name, by some as the Duke of Exeter`s Daughter. These devices can still be seen today, alongside with many other evil devices used.
One of today`s main attractions to the tower is the famous Crown Jewels. The Jewels have been held in the Tower of London ever since the year 1303, after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey.
Most of the jewels were recovered shortly after, with the decision to make them more secure. However the jewels were given to a custodian of the tower, but he was bound and gagged by Colonel Thomas Blood, who stole the jewels for himself.
Once the jewels were again retrieved, they were given their own tower, known as the Jewel House. Here the jewels were guardred night and day by armed guards. They have remained here ever since, and seen by millions of people each year.
If you are planning on visiting London in the future, then make sure the Tower of London is on your list.
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