The Graber Family's Adventures in Sweden: Tower of London

Beefeaters, ravens, the crown jewels and a gruesome history are all iconic images of the Tower of London. Despite the Tower of London's grim reputation as a place of torture and death, it has a varied past as it once served a royal palace, an armory and a powerful fortress.

We began our tour of the Tower with a beefeaters tour. The bearded Yeoman Warders, also called “Beefeaters,” guard the tower today.

We learned that the Tower of London is a combination of buildings begun during the time of William the Conqueror. Originally built as a fortress, to keep hostile Londoners at bay it was also used to sight approaching enemies on the Thames River.

Belle was enjoying the tour

Throne Room of Edward II

It was under Henry VIII's reign, that the tower began to be transformed into a royal prison. Henry VIII commissioned a number of buidlings to be used by his second wife, Anne Boleyn after her coronation in 1533. However, Anne Boelyn soon fell out of favor with the king, which soon led to the Tower being used as a royal prison rather than a royal residence. Thanks to Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church the Tower was soon full of both religious and political prisoners. Contrary to belief, most prisoners were not executed inside the walls of the Tower of London. Most prisoners sentenced to death were given public executions at various sites across London. Private executions inside tower were reserved for only the most sensitive, high profile cases involving prominent figures in society such as nobility and royalty.

The spot on Tower Green were the scaffolds for executions were erected.

Most prisoners of the Tudors entered the Tower through the Traitor's Gate. The gate was built by Edward I, to provide a water gate entrance to the Tower. It was through this gate that many notorious prisoner, such as Queen Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas Moore entered.