Tower of London, historic
fortress of the City of London, on the north bank of the Thames River, built on
the remains of Roman fortifications. The tower complex, which contains 7.5
hectares (18 acres), stands on a slight rise known as Tower Hill. The original
tower, known as the White Tower or Keep, is flanked by four turrets and enclosed
by two lines of fortifications. William the Conqueror ordered the
original tower built and work was begun in 1078. It was designed by Gundulf,
bishop of Rochester, and completed in 1097. Although its exterior was restored
in the 18th century, the interior still has much of its original Norman
character. Later buildings surrounding the original keep include a barracks and
a chapel built in the 14th century and restored in the 16th century. The inner
fortifications (Ballium Wall) have 12 towers; the most important are the
following: Bloody Tower, so called from the tradition that the English child
king Edward V and his brother Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York,
were murdered there in 1483; Record or Wakefield Tower, where the records were
formerly kept and the royal regalia (symbols and emblems, such as crowns and
scepters) are now guarded; Devereux Tower, named for its most famous prisoner,
Robert Devereux, earl of Essex, who was held there before his
execution for treason in 1601, and where, in 1478, George Plantagenet, Duke of
Clarence, supposedly was drowned in a barrel of wine; and Jewel Tower, which
formerly housed the regalia.
The tower was used as a royal residence as well as for a
prison until Elizabethan times. Use of the tower as a prison was discontinued in
the 19th century. Executions were held either in the central keep or outside the
tower on Tower Hill. It is now largely a showplace and museum. It holds the
crown jewels of England and is one of the country's greatest tourist
attractions. A popular feature is the Yeomen of the Guard, known as Beefeaters,
who still wear colorful uniforms of the Tudor period. The Tower was once
surrounded by a wide moat, which was filled in during the 19th century because
of stagnating water. Work to restore the moat began in the late 1990s, and
archaeologists working at the site unearthed centuries-old artifacts. The most
impressive of these were the remains of a 13th-century tower that once existed
in front of today’s entrance and a wooden bridge. Other artifacts include an
almost-intact wicker fishing basket from the late 15th or early 16th century, a
money box, pots, and pipes.
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