See the world-famous Crown Jewels and meet the Beefeaters on a tour of the highlights at the Tower of London.
Fortress, prison, royal mint and now a tourist attraction. The Tower of London has seen many lives over the past centuries and persists to this day as a powerful symbol of British heritage. A seemingly permanent fixture on London's skyline, the question of why and when the Tower of London was built still prevail to this day.
This iconic historical site started off life as an imposing river fortress for the formidable force that was William the Conqueror, dating back to the 1070s. In the 1200s, the Tower was expanded by King Henry III and Edward I - adding a moat and more defensive structures to prepare for the possibility of battle.
It famously became one of the most secure places in the country after it was appointed the home of the Tower Mint in the 1800s. All the money in the nation began here. Shortly after, the Royal Family also began storing its most precious jewels and possessions under the eye of some of the most powerful soldiers in British history - the Yeoman Warders. The warders have lived there since the 1500s and now serve as kindly tour operators.
The Tower has also famously been the site of many high-profile executions, the chopping block for which still stands on the grounds to this day. King Henry VIII famously had his wife Anne Boleyn executed there three years into their marriage on the grounds of adultery and treason. She was buried at the Tower's Chapel Royal alongside her fellow queens, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey. However, rumour has it that she continues to haunt the execution grounds and unwitting tourists.
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