This museum was Lily's favorite because it combined two things
she was very interested in: jewelry and torture. The Tower of
London was an ancient castle built in 1078 by William the
Conqueror but even after it
was no longer used as a royal palace it was used as a prison and execution
site, mostly for nobles, including some famous ones.
The Tower also currently has an exibit of the British Royal Crown
Jewels. They are kept in one of the large buildings on the site behind
some very large steel doors. With all the security we think they
might be the real thing.
The best part of the visit was the guides, which they call the Yeoman Warders.
Ours always told stories with a lot of drama making us all hang on his
every word.
| Click on thumbnail for a full-size picture |
 The Tower when I first exited the Tube station. Viewed: 35 times. |
 Close-up. Viewed: 57 times. |
 The gallows for normal people was kept here. Viewed: 50 times. |
 The Middle Gate in the middle of the moat. Viewed: 44 times. |
 The moat has now been drained. Viewed: 51 times. |
 Another gate. Viewed: 40 times. |
 Our excellent guide. Viewed: 54 times. |
 Courtyard inside the tower. Viewed: 45 times. |
 The back of the inside gate. Viewed: 33 times. |
 The famous Trators Gate. Viewed: 77 times. |
 Mean looking gate. Viewed: 44 times. |
 The oldest tower, The White Tower. Viewed: 61 times. |
 The Crown Jewels are kept in this building. Viewed: 52 times. |
 Another view. Viewed: 43 times. |
 Viewed: 34 times. |
 Our guide telling us yet another amusing story. Viewed: 32 times. |
 Guards about to do a changing of the guard. Viewed: 45 times. |
 Changing of the guard. Viewed: 35 times. |
 Viewed: 35 times. |
 A group of people preparing to do a re-enactment. Viewed: 42 times. |
 The small chapel inside the castle is the oldest church in England. Viewed: 65 times. |
 The "throne" room. Viewed: 75 times. |
 The Tower as it most likely looked in 1547. Viewed: 61 times. |
 Armor for man and horse of King Henry VIII, about 1515. Viewed: 89 times. |
 This armor has the kind of "protection" I'd be looking for. Viewed: 69 times. |
 The individual pieces of armor for a horse. Viewed: 54 times. |
 Viewed: 43 times. |
 Armour for King James I. Looks Japanese to me. Viewed: 67 times. |
 Armour for King Charles I. Viewed: 62 times. |
 Ornamentation for a Royal Barge. Viewed: 48 times. |
 Nice gun collection. Viewed: 50 times. |
 Viewed: 66 times. |
 I like the Spanish Morning Star, second from the left. Viewed: 69 times. |
 Instruments used for the delicate head removal procedure. Viewed: 142 times. |
 Reproduction of the original Rack. Viewed: 209 times. |
 The Manacles are always fun. Viewed: 148 times. |
 Tower Bridge. Viewed: 48 times. |
 Viewed: 54 times. |
 View back at the the Tower from the river. Viewed: 45 times. |