Untitled Document

Saturday 3rd April 2004

The Tower of London - The Tower Bridge

NOTE #01 - there are 58 pictures and thumbnail images on this page
and it may take a few extra seconds to download completely
NOTE #02 - the photos NAMED IN GREEN are the shots that Tanya took
and the others are from various internet sites

(simply click on the thumbnail image to see the photo)

A detailed map and index of the Tower of London complex

I caught the tube to Tower Hill Station and met Amanda and Stafford.
I thought that it was quite expensive to get in to the Tower of London - £13.50.

Tanya's ticket

Anyway, I expected just a Tower but you will see from postcard that the area it covers is huge.

An aerial view of the Tower complex (postcard sent over by Tanya)

and more aerial shots (two photos)

There was a lot of people and we skipped the tour and wandered around with our maps.

The first place we went was the Medieval Palace which was built in the reign of Henry I in 1272.

Chandelier - The Medieval Palace - Candelabra

From the windows in the Medieval Palace I saw the Tower Bridge properly for the first time
...kind of was like when I saw Big Ben I guess but it is so big and looks just how you think it should look.
Was surprised that it was blue though.
Anyway I soon got used to that!

(two photos) The Tower Bridge (three photos)

and another shot - and yes, it's blue like Tanya mentioned!!!

There were ravens everywhere.
The map said that one of the Kings was superstitious and said that if the ravens left the monarchy would fall
We also saw some in cages.
I guess that is one way of keeping them around!

The ravens (two photos)

There was so many people strolling around eating picnics or following the Beefeaters on the tours of the place.

Then we went into the White Tower which is the building right in the middle.

The White Tower (two photos)

and another view (two photos)

This Tower housed the armoury.
It was awesome.
I loved looking at the old armour of the knights and the weapons - old wooden shields and spears.

I saw the armour of King Henry VIII.
He was a great big tall fat dude and his "package" was very big as well - he really has to have been kidding!
But he was King and could do what he wanted.

Henry VIII's armour--

and his "package"!!!--

another shot of the armour

I also saw horse armour on a model horse with a knight in full gear on it too.

Knight and horse in full armour (two photos)

and another photo

Then I saw a lance that the knights used when jousting (think of Heath Ledger in the movie "A Knights Tale")
It is over nine feet long - how they held it, rode the house in full gear and tried to knock the other bloke off his horse while staying on theirs is beyond me.

A Knight's lance (two photos)

Another floor of the White Tower housed the guns!
Lots and lots of guns!
I took some photos so Dad could see but they were amazing...so old as well.

Lots of guns (two photos)---

and more guns!!! (two photos)

Then the Jewel House which is the reason I wanted to go in the first place
(even though I think the Knights room was the best after being there).

The Jewel House (two photos)

and another look

The jewellery was amazing.
The crowns and goblets and platters and spoons and the gold coronation gown were incredible.
Had to go into a massive strong room - the steel doors looked pretty strong.
We got on a little conveyor belt and went by the crowns.
We weren't allowed to take photos but I got one of the Crown of India as there wasn't a security guard around.
And I saw the Queen Mum's Crown...oh - she was so lovely!
I can't even begin to imagine how much it was all worth.

Crown of India - "illegally snapped shot by Tanya!!!"

The Queen Mother's Crown (postcard from Tanya)

Crown of India---

Queen Mary's and The Queen Mother's Crowns

We had our photo taken with a Beefeater.
He was cool and had a little curly moustache.

Beefeater/Yeoman Warder

Anyway - we saw a sign for the scaffold site.
We joked a bit about why there was a sign for scaffolding and then saw that it was the site where the executions took place.
Anne Boleyn was executed there as were a few other of Henry VIII wives...we reckon that maybe they threatened to tell that his 'willy' wasn't quite as big as his armour made out so they lost their heads!

Scaffold site - and a list of those executed there (three photos)

We went into the Torture Chambers and saw the tools used during torture.
They didn't look like much fun.
There was the manacles (where you hung from your hands) and the rack.
The one I didn't like was the vice that you knelt down and folded the body like a concertina and they fastened a metal ring around you so you were stuck doubled up.
Not nice.

Manacles--

The rack--

The vice
NOTE - in these pictures there is a faint outline of how the prisoner
would look when locked in these devices

We then went into the Tower where the prisoners were kept before their execution.
They had made carvings like graffiti into the walls.
They were covered in glass so you couldn't touch them but you could see that some had carved their names and others their family crests.
It was pretty cool.

The Bloody Tower

Traitors Gate was nearby.
They didn't parade the upper class or royalty through the streets when they were in trouble.
They took them by boat on the Thames to Traitors Gate.
You could see the entrance from Tower Bridge.

Traitors Gate (two photos)

and more views (three photos)

We walked along the side of the Thames to the Bridge.

Walking to the Bridge (two photos)

We found a Hagen Daas shop so me and Amanda had a hot chocolate and Stafford had icecream...very strange cause it was cold.
We could look out the window at the Bridge.
It reminded me of having coffee in Paris and looking at the Eiffel Tower.

The view of the Bridge from the Hagen Daas shop

We went up the Tower - it was only £4.40.
The views were great and I can't believe how close Canary Wharf is where I used to work.
Anyway, got some great photos.