Tower of London

Ordered by William the Conqueror in 1078, the Tower of London was built to keep the newly conquered
English out, but then it became a prison, famous for keeping people in. But not everyone could be
imprisoned here: only high status political and religious got the privilege of being held here, like Sir Thomas
More who got imprisoned for refusing to accept Henry VIII as a head of the church. Not all prisoners have
survived this difficult place, most of them are remembered only by the graffiti they left on the walls during
their long imprisonment. The walls of the first floor were left by Tudor’s prisoners, for example John Balliol,
the Scottish King, who was imprisoned here in 1296 for three years, and Hugh Draper, an innkeeper from
Bristol who got accused of practicing sorcery. There is a particular gate, called the “Traitors’ Gate”, which
was an entrance into the tower from the River Thames. Then there is the tower green, the place where a
lot of important historical characters have died, like the three Queens: Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and
Lady Jane Grey. The Tower of London has often been the scene of the most important stories in the
nation’s history. The tower is made up by 20 towers which together forms a mighty defensive stronghold,
besides the famous Norman White Tower is surrounded by other 19s added later by medieval kings, along
with a moat battlement, portcullis and a low slit, which helped to make it the country’s strongest fortress.
When it was built, the Tower of London was the tallest building of that time, and it remains today a symbol
of power for the country. With time also its function changed, becoming a very luxurious residence instead
of a prison. There is also a particular legend about this tower: according to the legend, the kingdom and the
tower will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. For this reason, those ravens are taken care
of by “The Raven Master”, one of the beefeaters who guards the tower. They eat 170 grams of raw meat a
day, bird biscuits soaked in blood and a weekly egg. The tower is also father of many institutions that still
exists today, like the Royal Mint, the London Zoo, the National Archives and the Royal Observatory.