Chapter 79 - London - Tower of London

Just thinking about the Tower of London conjures up images of ghostly passages ill lit by smoky torches. Aristocratic prisoners were led to chambers where they waited to be executed. A few spent years or even the rest of their lives in this fortress. Conspiracies were hatched here, intrigue, murder, treason, betrayals, desperate pleas for freedom - every kind of human misery was heard in these shadowy corridors.

Yeah, I know I'm fanciful, but I've always thought of the Tower that way. It was such a thrill to get to visit it on a [freezing cold] spring evening and witness the famous Ceremony of the Keys. Kate was able to get us in quickly for a law enforcement personnel event so I felt very VIPish.

After taking the tube across London, then walking for what seemed forever, I felt excited just to see this sign!


Tower Bridge is an 800-foot-long combined bascule (drawbridge) and suspension bridge that opened in 1894. Today it is one of the well-known symbols of London.


Entering Tower Bridge


The Tower of London, located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, was built by William the Conqueror beginning in 1078 to overawe his new subjects after his Norman Conquest 12 years earlier.


The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and moat.


It has served variously as a palace, torture chamber, execution site, armory, treasury, menagerie, [St. John's] Chapel, Royal Mint, public records office, soldiers' residence and home of the Crown Jewels. Its most famous purpose, however, has been that of a prison. Many historical notables have been held there, including the future Elizabeth I, the little Princes (who were supposedly murdered in 1483 on the orders of Richard III), Roger Mortimer (who conspired with Edward II's widowed queen to overthrow Edward III), Richard II, James I of Scotland, Henry VI, Sir Walter Raleigh, Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Howard and of course, the [in]famous Anne Boleyn. During World War II it was again used as a prison for German prisoners of war, including Hitler deputy Rudolph Hess.


The castle, enclosing an area of almost 12 acres, was built of Kentish ragstone (whatever that is), some local mudstone (again, whatever that is), later mostly replaced by Portland stone (again ... but then I repeat myself).



I can't tell you how excited I was to actually be there!

The Ceremony of the Keys has been conducted nightly for over 700 years. The Tower's heavy wooden gates are locked each evening by the Chief Yeoman Warder. The Ceremony begins promptly at 9:53 pm and is completed at 10:00 pm. It is not just for show; the crown jewels are stored at the Tower.

The Yeoman Warders are very proud that the Ceremony of the Keys continued without interruption even when German bombs fell on the Tower during World War II. After a direct hit in September, 1941, the ceremony was delayed by half an hour but went ahead after the dusk and smoke settled.

You can't photograph the Ceremony. First, we were guided to a spot near the Bloody Tower. We had to walk carefully on the uneven cobblestoned lanes in the darkness. The Chief Yeoman Warder, flanked by two warders, approaches down the lane with the Keys of the Tower in one hand and a brass lantern in the other. The guard calls out, "Halt! Who comes there?" (Note: not 'Who goes there' which would be grammatically incorrect). He replies, "The Keys." The guard asks, "Whose keys?" and the reply is "Queen Elizabeth's keys." Then the guard orders, "Advance, Queen Elizabeth's Keys. All's well." The ceremony concludes with a bugle call. It was quite impressive, especially since it has been occurring the same way for over seven centuries.

The gate we entered for the Ceremony of the Keys


Kate in the lane leading to the center of the Tower complex


Part of the medieval wall


The Bloody Tower, the original water gate


The famous Traitors' Gate. After extending the south side of the Tower onto previously submerged land, Edward I built St. Thomas's Tower between 1275 and 1279. It replaced Bloody Tower as the castle's water gate.

The building is unique in England, the closest parallel being the now demolished water gate at the Louvre in Paris. The dock was covered with arrow slits in case of an attack from the river, and there was a portcullis to control entrance.

When [Bloody]Mary I had Princess Elizabeth brought to the Tower, the 20-year-old future queen plopped down on the steps and refused to enter the Tower by Traitors' Gate. Imagine the courage that took!


The portcullis controls entrance to the Tower of London. Here is our group entering the complex.


Behind these walls was a torture chamber. Not all that many torture devices were used in England, primarily just the rack - which is still the best way to make someone taller. Of course there is the negative side, like agony without pain medication. But then no pain, no gain, right?


The Clock Tower


Barracks where some of the Yeoman Warders and their families live


Because I'm a lousy photographer, you can't see it - but just to the left out of camera range is the site where several royals were executed, including Lady Jane Grey (most executions took place on nearby Tower Hill).

The Tower is reputedly the most haunted building in England, and I'm not surprised. Many dark deeds were committed in this place. Supposedly, the ghosts of Anne Boleyn, Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole and the young Princes are among the spirits who walk here. If I'd been wrongly executed, I might haunt the place, too!

Part of the 11th century White Tower


Part of the old Roman city wall. The Tower of London was built in the southeast corner of the Roman town walls, using them as prefabricated defenses.


After the ceremony most people are escorted to the after-hours gate. This is where I again felt VIPish; the law enforcement group was invited to the Beefeaters Bar.

Our little group: a colleague of Kate's; Jessica, a friend of Colin's; the old lady; Kate; Jonathan, Jessica's husband; and Kate's friend, Colin.


My favorite picture! Me with two of the elite Yeoman Warders who conduct the Ceremony of the Keys each evening. Aren't they handsome young men!

My visit to the Tower of London was fabulous, easily one of my favorites ever.

Chapter 78 - London - Hampton Court Palace - Interiors 2

I'd like to start this blog by showing some royal family tree information.

You can't really see it clearly, but it shows the family line from Edward III to Henry VIII.


Just to the upper right of John of Gaunt's (3rd son of Edward III) name is that of Katherine Swynford. She was his mistress for many years, had four children by him and was later his third wife. She is a direct ancestor of the Tudor family line.


Her story was told in a historical fiction novel, "Katherine," by Anya Seton. It was one of my favorite books growing up, and I named our Katherine for her. Bob named her for Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," but I named her for this person. It was awesome to see her so prominently featured on the family tree.


One of the many Margarets in the royal families of England and Scotland. Our Margaret is a namesake of many of those great women although her nickname, Meg, is from the oldest sister in the Louisa May Alcott novel, "Little Women," another of my childhood favorites.

It was fun to see the names of both my girls on this family tree.

Why Katherine of Aragon had to be divorced by Henry VIII, besides the fact that he was bored with an aging wife (like many men). Poor Katherine - Henry was probably much to blame for the deaths of her babies. Besides the fact that infant mortality rates were high, there is considerable evidence that Henry was syphilitic, and congenital syphilis cut a wide swath through the royal infants of Europe.


The infamous Anne Boleyn who was simply out for the main chance like many young women. Not wanting to be just another mistress, she withheld sex from Henry for years. Finally pregnant with what was supposed to be the male heir Henry so desperately desired, she gave birth to Elizabeth I, most probably the greatest monarch in England's history.

After miscarrying two male infants, Anne had to be disposed of since Henry had to have a male heir (at least he thought he did) and besides, he had already cast his roving eye on Jane Seymour. So adultery charges were trumped up against Anne, and she was beheaded by the French executioner brought over specially to sever her head with his fine French sword.

Besides sex Henry's most important activity was eating. In one book I have, it says that he weighed over 350 pounds by the time he died. That's a lot of eating! Henry's court numbered over 1,000 people so Henry's first project at Hampton Court was to build the vast kitchen complex. By 1529 he had quadrupled its original size!

Here are several pictures of various rooms in the kitchen complex. Their purpose is pretty obvious.














Here is the room where much of the king's plate was stored - primarily pewter and silver.


And of course you have to wash your food down with something! Water wasn't that safe so people drank ales and wine. Henry could put down a lot of wine!


In my mind's eye I see a young serving girl carrying a loaded tray up this lane. It was cobblestoned and ill lit by smoky torches. Dogs snapped at her heels for a bite, and rats scurried in the darkness. Maybe a drunk servitor tried to grope her in the chilly evening. It can't have been easy to work in the kitchens.


And that wonderfully fattening food was served to him here in the King's Dining Room.


Henry was typical of monarchs of his era in his attitudes, especially about women. In his desperation to have a male heir (the only legitimate one he had by Jane Seymour was a frail, sickly kid who died young), he destroyed several women's lives and became notorious for all time. I keep remembering the old adage English schoolkids used to chant to help them remember Henry's wives: "divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."

Chapter 77 - London - Hampton Court Palace - Interiors 1

Now that you've seen some of the outside of this famous palace, let's go inside. It's even more beautiful and interesting there.

This is a stained glass window in the double height chapel. Henry was at mass in the chapel when fifth wife Catherine Howard was dragged screaming down the gallery outside, begging the king not to execute her.


These two pictures of tapestries are from the Great Watching Chamber.




These two pictures were taken in the Garderobe (toilet room).


This is a drawing of the toilet. Apparently, the hole led directly to the outside. I wonder if it was drafty.


This is the Privy Closet where Katherine Parr, Henry's sixth and last wife, married him in 1543. By the name you'd think it was a bathroom, too, but it wasn't; it was just a sitting room.


This young woman clad in an Anne Boleyn era dress told us that the costume is incredibly heavy and tiring to wear. But then throughout history, how much of women's fashion has been comfortable?


This beautiful chandelier dates from 1700 and was the first in England. It hangs in the King's Privy Chamber.


This ornamental handmade detail work is so intricate and beautiful.


People who know me know that I collect blue and white porcelain from England and Delftware from Holland. These pictures are from Mary II's Royal Collection.





I would have so loved to have one of these but couldn't figure out how to get it in my carry-on bag.

In the King's Guard Chamber, arms are arranged on the walls in decorative patterns.




Mary II's Bedchamber


Another bedchamber with the curtains drawn to prevent drafts


The King's Study. I wonder if this desk is where Henry sat to sign all the divorce and execution warrants for his "inconvenient" wives.


The King's Library - note the paucity of books. I guess all that skirt-chasing, drinking, eating and hunting didn't leave a lot of time for reading.


This is the Throne and Throne Canopy in the King's Privy Chamber. This room includes the chandelier mentioned earlier.


Another Throne Room


Another Throne Room


I leave it to you to decide which throne was the most sumptious, which the most useful. More next time.