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The Tower Of London (The White Tower)
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An
execution with a difference – drowned in a barrel of wine. This was
the fate that George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, is supposed to have
met. The site of this execution was the Tower of London, the White Tower
or the Great Tower as it was also referred to. It is situated on the bank of the River Thames. The tower of
London is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The
Tower, flanked by four turrets, is a truly magnificent sight. Two lines of
fortifications enclose it. Work on the Tower began in 1078, on the orders
of William the Conqueror; it was completed in 1097.
The site chosen for building the tower
was the same one on which Claudius, the Roman Emperor, had built a fort more
than a thousand years earlier. In fact a trained eye can make out some traces of
the Roman wall even now. With each successive ruler, the Tower saw additions in
keeping with the ruler’s requirements and fancies. King Richard I, for example added a moat all round the
Tower.
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You
must have seen TV clippings or photographs of British Soldiers marching in full
dress uniform. Well, at the Tower you can see the “Yeoman Warders” dressed
to the hilt. Also known as the “beefeaters” they have two sets of uniforms,
a scarlet and gold set and a blue one, which they usually sport. The sight of
these men around the Tower adds to the old world charm of the place. And yes,
they actually live at the Tower too.
William
the Conqueror started the construction of the central keep, and it was finished
by his successors. The central keep
is a staggering 90 feet in height. Its massive walls are 15 feet thick in some
places. Three of the four turrets are square, the only circular turret used to
house the royal observatory.
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The Great Tower of London |
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Entry
to the Tower was not to be gained very easily. There were no doors on the ground
floor! Narrow slits, some of which can be seen even now, were the only access to
the upper floors. Alterations in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
changed all that and many windows were built.
Medieval
kings of England used to actually live at the White Tower, along with
their families and courtiers. This was from where England was ruled. An
exquisite chapel can be found on the first floor of the White Tower. This is the
Chapel of St. John the Evangelist. There is a millennium old well in the
basement of the White Tower. The White Tower also contains one of the finest
collections of arms and armory in the world.
Visitors
to the Tower are also attracted by the collection of the crown jewels - a
collection of over 3,000 diamonds, pearls, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and also
crowns, orbs, swords and other regalia. Well, any place that houses such
treasures should be locked up properly. A long ceremonial process was
followed to lock up the Tower in the earlier days. And, hold your breath, the
ceremony is religiously performed even today. The ceremony is estimated to be
about 700 years old! The ceremonial locking up starts at 7 minutes to 10 and
ends just as the clock chimes ten.
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