The Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of the best known castles in the world not just for being home to the world-famous crown jewels but it is also a place where tales of past British monarchs rival any of the more revealing tabloid stories of recent years. 

From the infamous Bloody Tower, where the alleged murder of the Little Princes took place in 1483, to Traitors Gate, where 'traitors' were brought by boat on what was often their last journey, the Tower brings to life some of England's grim history.

The original Tower was built for William the Conqueror in 1078. Its role was as much to subjugate the Saxon Londoners as to provide protection from the vulnerable riverside. This tower, now known as the White Tower (because Henry III had the outside of the building painted white in the 13th century), dominates the structure from within. It a perfect Norman keep and includes the original royal chapel of St John, the best preserved example of Norman architecture in Britain.

The 19 other towers which make up the Tower of London were constructed mainly in the late 13th century, under Henry III and his son Edward I. The original Tower was encircled by an ever-expanding series of defenses, culminating with the present moat during Edward's reign. The moat was originally filled with water until Queen Victoria ordered it be drained on health grounds in 1843.