Travel Writing Blog 4: The Tower of London is Falling Down. Wait. I Think I Have That Wrong..

View of The Tower of London from the front

Imagine being surrounded by stark, stone gray walls day in and day out, with as much freedom as a caged bird; nothing to look forward to except counting down the days until your public humiliation, which also happens to be your execution day. Such were the images and occurrences of numerous prisoners who had been imprisoned within the Tower of London. Alcatraz of San Francisco seems tame and childish compared to the bitter stories that lie within the immense structure of London, which is situated on the north bank of the River Thames. The Tower of London has been a symbol of oppression since its erecting by William the Conqueror in 1078. Surprisingly enough, however, the Tower has held many purposes throughout the years besides imprisonment that one would probably never suspect of occurring in Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, the more formal title for the castle.

The Tower of London is almost always included in every London travel guidebook’s “Top (enter number here) Sights to See While In London” section, and for good reason. If you could think of a use for a building, the Tower of London probably pursued it. Every room is filled with historical replicas and displays that contain several centuries’ worth of knowledge and secrets.  The Tower also appears to be never ending, with several additions that have been added century after century and secret tunnels that lead to chambers and rooms most visitors don’t even know exist. Like most tours, this one began on the outskirts of the structure’s main walls where its daunting peaks and turrets glared ominously as if to warn you of entering its gates. The tour guide casually points to a building located outside of the realm of the main towers and informs the group that this was the most common place of execution.  What a great way to start a tour.

The first building the group entered was the White Tower. Inside the somber gray interior was livened up by numerous amounts of armor, shields, and weaponry, which lined pretty much every corner of the room. The tour guide was informative to say the least, but my mind kept wandering to thoughts of the people and monarchs who once inhabited the Tower’s domain. Were the kings as noble and grand as most historians suggest? Why were these items the “chosen relics” to be displayed for all generations to see? Nevertheless, the artifacts were glorious. The armor had been polished to pristine condition, and there were several weapons that could be worn as jewelry with all of the precious gems placed upon them. This area, which was open to the public, also housed what used to be the Royal Mint, but the group breezed by this area due to disinterest and throngs of tourists. Although this part of the tour was extremely instructive and covered a broad spectrum of what occurred within the Tower, it was the second half of the tour that still resonates in my mind.

Due to the fact that Baylor students travel in packs of 50, the group had to be separated in two. So after about an hour of touring with one tour guide in the White Tower, the groups switched guides and locations. It was then our group’s turn to head to the “restricted” part of the tour. This basically implied that we would be viewing areas of the Tower that weren’t open to the public, which also meant these rooms were a lot cooler. We were led to the Constable’s housing unit where he actually eats, sleeps, and lives while keeping watch over the Tower in the Queen’s absence. Inside the basic structure lay hidden a room located right off the entrance to the house. This, according to the tour guide, is where they housed the most “important” prisoners, considering they were right under the watchful eye of the Constable. One of the more notable prisoners who occupied this area was Thomas More. More was accused and tried of treason after refusing to acknowledge the annulment of King Henry VIII to his wife Catherine. The imprisonment of More, who was the King’s secretary of state, would be the equivalent of throwing Hillary Clinton in jail this day and age. What was interesting about More’s story was that while imprisoned, he was first allowed access to books and writing materials as well as allowed to see his wife and children. After continuous refusal to support the King, though, each privilege was slowly stripped of him until he was left with only his thoughts in that cramped, cavernous room. Inevitably, More was beheaded after being tried and found guilty of high treason for denying the validity of the Act of Succession. I just found it almost baffling how a man of such high authority could be killed simply for disagreeing with the King and his wishes.  I suppose the moral of the story is do what the King requests, or die. More learned this lesson the difficult way.

After almost three hours of touring, our final stop was located in another tower within the inner ward. At first glance, nothing seemed overly impressive or interesting about this space. We had climbed up yet another flight of steps into a dimly lit room with only a few beams of sun casting through the window, but this area of the Tower was nothing short of magnificent. Little did we know, we were standing on tile that originated back to the 14^th century.  Impressive considering the Guards who help give tours and work for the Tower lived in this part of the tower as well. After peering down onto the main area of the Tower courtyard, we ventured into a room just off of the entry hallway. In this room, paint still faintly clung to the wall just enough to make out the sanctifying images that created a true masterpiece. There was a plaster fireplace only half completed with the rose crest of the Tutor Family barely visible above the worn-down brick. Unfortunately, this fireplace covered the most stunning of all artwork. Depicted was, what most historians, believe, to be the Crucifixion. They can only speculate about this, however, because the fireplace is covering one crucial component of the puzzle, the crucifying of Christ. Luckily there still remain four visible figures, who are often included in other Crucifixion portrayals, that lead us to believe Christ is behind the structure. To the left is John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary weeping over the loss of their Savior. To the right are John the evangelist and the Byward Angel What I found extremely fascinating was image of the angel holding a scale, which scholars believed to be the scales weighing the souls of good and evil. On one side, if you looked carefully enough, there was a depiction of the devil trying to take back the holier souls and bring them to hell with him. Even just the sight of this was enough to send chills running up and down my arms.

Our tour of Tower of London concluded after viewing this closed off room, and I personally felt more than fortunate to view a piece of history not many eyes have seen before. Although the tour was over, there was still a plethora of activities to be had at the Tower. Of course I perused the Crown Jewels, stunning as expected, and checked out a few of the other “bloody” towers. However, it was the subtlety of being able view something that is still shielded from the general public’s eye that made the day seem somewhat intimate. So, I will most certainly agree that the Tower of London shouldn’t be missed by anyone visiting London. Even if you’re just breezing through the city on a whim, this attraction is a must for any body with a natural curiosity and appreciation for anything a little out of the ordinary.