Tower+of+London

**Hallie Burke** **The Tower of London is a very interesting place, filled with the stories of English kings and queens. The Tower of London is an ancient fortress, and sits on thirteen acres on the Thames River. It’s located in Southeast London, in the Roman City of Londonium. The Tower was used over time as a fortress, state prison, royal residence, royal mint, public records office, observatory, military barracks, a place of execution, and a city zoo. The goal of the builders was to provide a symbol of royal power. It also was a place for the royal family to go in time of war.** ** The walls of the tower were built in the 13th century. To protect this castle, trenches up to 15 feet deep were built in the 1200’s and filled with rubble around the castle. The White Tower, is a main part of the Tower of London, was the most inspiring and frightening structure to the Anglo-Saxon people. The first siege attack was in 1191. This specific tower’s thickness ranges 15 feet at the base to 11 feet in the upper levels. This tower alone took 30 years, and was completed in 1110.** **There were many monarchs and kings who had a huge impact on the tower. Henry III, who ruled from 1207 through 1272, and Edward I, who ruled from 1272 through 1307, had the greatest impact on the tower. Edward helped renovate the White Tower and Bloody Tower. Henry III added many things in entertainment part of the castle. He built a zoo so visitors could be greeted by roaring beasts as they came in. Henry loved the idea of having animals in the tower. Because he enjoyed them so much, he built a Royal Menagerie, in addition to the zoo, within the walls of the tower. Lions, tigers, eagles, and porcupines were kept in there. The Tower’s Menagerie was so large, that in the 1830’s, all the animals were moved to the London Zoo. King Edward V and his brother were both murdered in the Garden Tower. After the murders, this part of the building became known as the Bloody Tower. After Henry VIII’s death, the Tower of London never again was home to an English king or queen. Another ruler who was alive during the time of the early years of the Tower of London was Elizabeth I, who was Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s daughter, and who became the Queen of England. When Elizabeth was in her twenties, she imprisoned Sir Walter Raleigh, a sailor and explorer, in the tower. She had fallen in love with him and he was in love with another lady. She imprisoned him in the Brick Tower, which is located in the Tower of London, for five weeks. She let Walter out, because she realized that she needed him to protect England from the Spanish people. She needed all the people she could get, which included Sir Walter Raleigh.** ** During the 19th century, a number of changes were made to the tower. During this time period, it was popular to return buildings and castles to their original states. Some renovations that were done included: the restorations were on the Beauchamp Tower, the Salt Tower, White Tower, St Thomas’ Tower, and the Bloody Tower .** ** The Tower of London is filled with many traditions. There are two favorite traditions for the people of Britain. One of them, The Beating of the Bounds, was and still is today a historic ceremony of the beating of the bounds of the Tower Liberty, which is done every three years. Another tradition is the Ceremony of the Keys. This tradition is celebrated as the locking up of the Tower of London each and every night.**
 * __ Tower ____ of London __ **
 * In the year 1078, William ordered one of his forts to be pulled down. In that space, William replaced the weak fort with a stronger fortress. This was the beginning of the Tower of London. The Tower of London’s original structure was made of wood and earth. William the Conqueror built many wooden forts to protect his land. The first job of building the castle was to see if the ground could support such a large structure. Mortar was used on the castle to cement the stones, such as a brown limestone and a cream colored. The brown limestone used for the White Tower was brought from Kent, England and the cream colored limestone from Caen, France. Building stone castles like the tower took many years. Although William started rebuilding a new fortress in 1078, it was completed in 1097. **
 * There are many interesting items in the tower. For example, the Crown Jewel’s, which include the largest cut diamond in the world. Another interest found in the tower, is the two famous chapels within the walls of the tower. They are called the Norman St John’s Chapel, which is the oldest church in the tower, and St Peter ad Vincula, which was burned down and rebuilt in 1512. ****The Tower was and still is today, the most haunted and fascinating place in all of London.**

**Works Cited:** __ **Websites:** __ ** “Tower of London.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. April 21st, 2008** [|**http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0389890-00**]  **“Tower of London.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. 2008. April 21st, 2008** [|**http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=345951&query=tower%20of%20London&ct**]  ** “Tower of London.” Camelot International.2007. April 21st, 2008** [|**http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html**]  __**Books:** __  **Hynson, Colin. __The Tower of London__. Wisconsin: World Almanac Library, 2005.**  **Fisher, Leonard Everett. __THE TOWER OF LONDON__. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987**