The Tower Of London

The Tower of London

The Tower of London, the oldest fortified palace in Europe, was built by William the Conqueror
in the late 1000's. It has served as a fortress, prison, palace, and the final resting-place of many people
("Tower of London" Encarta 1). Its history is full of amazing and horrific stories of life and death. To truly
appreciate this magnificent group of structures a look must be taken into its history through it's architecture,
uses, and those held in the prisons and dungeons.
The Tower Of London is not actually one tower, it is a group of 13 towers located on 7.5 hectares
of land known as Tower Hill ("Tower of London" Encarta 1). To the south of the tower is the Thames
Rivers, which used to feed a moat that was drained in 1830. The general shape of the tower is a square with
two lines of defensive walls surrounding it. The outer wall is defended by six towers on the river face, and
there are two semi-circular bastions at the northeast and northwest corners (Tower of London Virtual Tour
3). The original tower, also known as the White Tower, is flanked by four turrets (Encarta 1). By looking
carefully at the architecture of the tower you can see the painstaking workmanship put into every little
detail.
The group of thirteen towers collectively known as the Tower of London has five areas, which are
especially interesting. One such tower was the Lion Tower, called so because it once housed the royal
managerie. Often bear baiting performances were...

The Tower Of London

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