{"id":10929,"date":"2022-11-08T14:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T14:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/the-tower-of-london\/"},"modified":"2024-05-30T14:17:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T14:17:02","slug":"the-tower-of-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/en\/the-tower-of-london\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tower of London"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Listed\nas a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, theTower\n of London<\/em> is a must-see for anyone\nexploring the English capital. With close to 3 million visitors a year,\nit is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the guide!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contents:<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc49 Brief history of the Tower of London<\/a>
\ud83d\udc49 Visiting the Tower of London<\/a>
\ud83d\udc49 Access<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udca1 The Captain\u2019s tip<\/strong> \ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to know more about the history of London?<\/strong> Captain Ulysses highly recommends this free guided tour of the capital<\/a><\/mark>. It\u2019s up to you to choose how much you wish to tip the tour guide!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for a hotel in London?<\/strong> Be sure to check out the Captain’s article: Where to stay in London? Advice & recommendations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A short history of the Tower of London<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\norigins of the Tower of London<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While\nfortifications have been erected on the site of the Tower\nof London since Roman times, the present fortress dates from the time of\nof William the Conqueror (11th<\/sup> century). The newly-appointed English monarch ordered\nthe construction of the Tower of London at the end of 1066, the very year of the Norman\nconquest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St\nWhite Tower was completed in 1078: it is the oldest building in the\nfortress. In the following centuries, the kings Richard I,\nHenry III and Edward I also added their contribution to the Tower of London with\nthe constructions of walls, moats and defensive towers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nlayout of the Tower of London changed very little since the end of the 13th<\/sup> century,\nalthough many renovation works were subsequently carried out inside the enclosure\nto modernize and enlarge the buildings built in the previous centuries.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tower<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Royal palace,\nprison and… menagerie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If\nthe Tower of London was home to the residence of British monarchs,\nit also played a considerably less glamourous role… that of a prison (from the year 1100)!\nA prison indeed, but only for distinguished prisoners:\nQueens in disgrace, dissident nobles and intellectuals in protest\nwere in turn imprisoned in the Tower of London. Among them Anne\nBoleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh or Thomas Moore. Centuries later, during the Second World War,\nthe fortress briefly resumed its role as a prison. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nthe impressive London fortress has welcomed much more surprising guests…\nin the 1330’s, the Tower of London was home to\nthe royal menagerie ! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the centuries, the Tower of London took on other roles as surprising as they were essential: armory, treasury (with the Royal Mint<\/em>), public archives…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83e\udd14 Fun fact \ud83e\udd14<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The English expression ‘to be sent to the tower’, which means going to prison<\/em> , is a reference to the Tower of London<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Tower of London, a Unesco World Heritage Site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In\n1988, the Tower of London was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site\nto recognize its historical significance and to ensure its preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each\nyear, millions of visitors flock to the famous English fortress,\nmaking the Tower of London one of the top tourist attractions in England! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tower<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Tower of London<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spread over a surface area\nof 12 acres, the Tower of London is actually a large complex consisting of a\na host of historic buildings, each more impressive than the last. If\nall of them are worth a look, some of them are particularly\nimpressive! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll find a map of the site here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

St\nWhite Tower<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tower of London gets its name from this tower – which has all the appearance of a dungeon. Located in the heart of the ortress, the White Tower is the oldest building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built by William the Conqueror to assert his power over Londoners and to discourage invaders, the White Tower has become over the centuries a symbol of the power of the capital and the country as a whole. Inside, be sure to have a look at the Chapel of St. John and the Royal Armory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"White<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Visitors\nCrown Jewels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Crown Jewels are still in use in official ceremonies and\ntotalize a dizzying\ntotal of 23,578 gems! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among these,\nIn this sumptuous collection, the most famous pieces are without question :\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n