Locking up the Tower of London

Built alongside the River Thames, the Tower of London represented Norman power after the mid-11th-century Norman Conquest of England and reflects the last military takeover of England.

The White Tower was built by Gundulf, a monk from Caen, in Normandy, who was called to England to assist Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the administration of the diocese. Gundulf was made Bishop of Rochester in 1077, and as a skilled architect, King William I appointed him to oversee the building of the White Tower.

The Tower took around 20 years to build with masons arriving from Normandy, bringing with them stone from Caen, while most of the labour was provided by the English. Further stone, called Lower Greensand or Kentish ragstone, was sourced from Kent (Gundulf also used Caen stone to build St Leonard’s Tower, in West Malling, Kent, which will be the subject of my next post).

The Tower of London is the most complete 11th-century fortress palace in Europe and the White Tower, and its 13^th– and 14^th-century additions were at the cutting edge of military building technology.

UNESCO describes the site that “represents more than any other structure the far-reaching significance of the mid-11^th-century Norman Conquest of England; for the impact it had on fostering closer ties with Europe, on English language and culture, and in creating one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe”.

Witnessing the ceremony

As I witness the Ceremony of the Keys, in which the outer gates of the fortress are locked for the night, and the keys delivered to the Resident Governor (the monarch’s representative in the Tower), it is a beautiful, clear evening.

After crossing Tower Bridge to be at Traitors’ Gate for 9.30pm, one of the Yeoman Warders introduces herself and talks about her role and the ceremony.

She is very engaging and reveals her background includes military action as a Sergeant Major in Afghanistan. As part of a small group of Historic Royal Palaces members we’re also told we’ll be part of the ceremony and practise when and where to say ‘Amen.’

I hear the clicking of boots on the stone path and four soldiers march towards us, one with a lantern and the keys.

It’s moving to think this ceremony has been performed for 740 years and the Sergeant Major brings us up to date with life and work in the castle, as well as regaling a chilling history.

Imprisonments in the tower have included 16^th-century queens Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Jane Grey who were executed on Tower Green, while only Elizabeth I escaped being beheaded.

During the First and Second World Wars, the tower returned to its former role as a military store, barracks, and prison. First World War recruits underwent training in the moat (including the Royal Fusiliers whose headquarters and museum are at the tower) while Nazi Rudolph Hess was held at the tower and 12 spies and enemies of the state were executed during the Second World War.

The Ceremony of the Keys was all over in half an hour and as there is no entry inside the tower at that time. I visited earlier in the day to get a glimpse into life within the fortress walls where, for 500 years, monarchs used the tower as a luxurious palace.