Tower of London Tour | A Virtual Walk through the Inside of the Tower

hi everybody it's Margaret here guide and manager  at free tours by foot London and today I'm going   to be taking you on a virtual tour of the tower  of london one of my favorite buildings in the city   now as you can see behind me the tower  of london is not exactly just a tower   it's a whole complex of towers and turrets and  walls and buildings dating back to the 11th   century on today's tour of the tower of london  we're going to begin by entering the outer ward   where we will learn all about the Beefeaters fascinating history our walk will then take   us into the rooms of the old medieval palace we  will see how kings and queens lived and died in   the tower and centuries gone by next we'll walk  along the battlements surrounding the complex   learning about the legend of the ravens of the  tower and its other unexpected animal inhabitants   then we'll come down to the inner ward  to see the burial place of two saints   three queens and one rebellious nephew  before exploring the incredible crown jewels   after that we'll explore the heart of the tower  complex the white tower a royal palace that today   holds a branch of the royal armories but whose  basement rooms hold some shocking secrets then   we'll leave the tower of london via the bloody  tower for a little bit of dark history before we   return to the 21st century so i'm really excited  to share this with you come along with me today   we're going to have a great time together at  the tower of london originally the purpose of   the tower of london was to keep people out with  every possible entrance guarded and gated and   a moat surrounding the outer walls which would  have been here but today we can walk straight in   through what's known as the middle tower which you  can see right there ahead will come down this way we're now walking above what would have been  the moat toward the current main entrance ahead   the byward tower construction of the byward tower  was begun in the 1230s by king henry iii who was   looking to improve the security of the fortress  in fact originally the bioware tower would have   held a drawbridge to restrict access to and from  this section of the complex today it houses the   omen waters headquarters and restrooms and serves  as the home of the deputy governor of the tower   you'll notice as we go inside that the tower  of london is not just one tower it's an entire   complex of towers turrets walls and buildings that  have all been constructed over the last 1000 years   the first structure built here the white tower  was begun in the 1070s by william the conqueror   since then the tower complex has grown and  evolved into what we see today this makes   it almost impossible to see everything but i'm  going to squeeze in as much for you as i can   and the first place we're going to visit today  is part of what used to be the royal mint in   fact this part of the tower we're walking along is  still called mint street tucked right in between   the inner and outer walls the royal mint was  founded in 866 and beginning in 1279 until 1810 it   was located right here inside the tower of london  historically coinmaking was a dangerous business   the mint was full of hot furnaces it would have  been extremely noisy and it would have been full   of dangerous chemicals before mechanization the  process of coin making was done entirely by hand   and very few who worked here would have  finished their careers with all 10 fingers   luckily by the 1600s screw operated presses like  these had become the norm it's also worth noting   here that before photographs and television  often the coins made at the tower were the   only way the public could ever know what the king  or queen looked like here you see henry viii and   in a moment charles the first it was imperative  that the work done here was the highest quality   any tampering or forgery was considered  treason and punishments were severe   including hanging drawing and quartering  or for women being burned at the stake   but that doesn't mean it didn't happen sir isaac  newton's efforts to combat growing counterfeit   problems in the 1690s landed him the role of  warden or master of the mint here at the tower by the 1800s the mint had grown so large it  filled up all the space on this side of the tower   running along the north west and  east parts of the main complex   the decision was made to purpose build space  elsewhere for the mint and it moved out in   1810 today all that remains are the few rooms  we've just explored and these props outside up here you get the back view of the bioware  tower where we entered and just up ahead against   the wall there you see there's a box that  is the box where the Beefeaters stand when   giving their tours and speaking of Beefeaters i think i see one just up ahead on our right   now although you and i call them Beefeaters  their actual titles are yeoman warders of her   majesty's royal palace and fortress the tower  of london members of the sovereign's bodyguard   of the yeoman guard extraordinary yes really  the name beefeater has an unclear origin but   has been in usage since at least the 17th century  the Beefeaters themselves go with the likely   theory that at one point the omen waters at the  tower were lucky enough to be given daily rations   of beef at a time when many people wouldn't be  able to afford such luxury thus perhaps derisively   the public began referring to the waters as bee  feeders a nickname that has lasted over 500 years   the origin of the yeoman waters at the tower  dates back to the reign of henry vii in 1485 and   his emblem the tudor rose is still incorporated  into their uniform this early day also makes the   yeoman warders the oldest existing military corps  and oldest of the royal bodyguards in the country   henry vii son henry viii was the last monarch to  use the tower as an official primary residence   but when he moved out he insisted that the  tower should still be considered an official   royal palace and to enforce this he left  a token garrison of yeoman waters behind   and thus began centuries of the yeoman waters  of the tower working and living on this site   since the victorian era the role of the bee  feeders has been more front of house rather   than guarding prisoners or protecting crown jewels  a lot of their time is spent greeting and guiding   today one of the criteria to becoming a beefeater  is to be suited to dealing with the public on a   day-to-day basis but there are far more stringent  criteria than that all human warters are retired   members of the armed forces they must have been  a former warrant officer class first or second or   equivalent rank and other services they must have  earned the long service and good conduct medal and   they must have served a minimum of 22 years in the  regular armed services no easy feat in addition to   their roles as the face of the tower of london  as greeters and guides the bee feeder is also   complete ceremonial duties throughout the year  that have changed little throughout the centuries   they look after the safety of guests while they're  at the tower and work to protect the tower complex   many of them take part in the official nightly  locking of the complex known as the ceremony of   the keys and a perk of their job is that they  actually live on site here with their families   and apartments arranged throughout the complex  which means it's a pretty easy commute to work so we're passing the visitor center there on the  right coming down between the walls of the inner   ramparts on the right and the back of what's  called the queen's house which we'll see the   front of later up here on the left currently this  is the home of the resident governor of the tower   it is thought that the queen's house was  originally built for henry viii's second   wife and berlin where she stayed both the night  before her coronation and less than three years   later the night before her execution the wall in  front of us here leads to the original medieval   palace but before we go inside i want to show you  something else trader's gate this is the infamous   trader's gate the last stop for many of those poor  souls who were to be prisoners inside the tower   the gate was constructed by edward the first in  1275 to provide direct access from the river to   the king's palace inside the tower it would  later increasingly be used for prisoners of   the crown who would be taken from the city to  the tower for their imprisonment or execution   giving the gate its name the journey here would  have taken prisoners under london bridge where   the heads of executed treasonous criminals were  displayed on pikes a morbid hint of what was to   come from many of them there is a glimpse of the  bloody tower that we're going to explore later   and other views of the queen's house there on  your right but now we're going to go explore   part of the original medieval palace we're going  to head up these stairs on our left into saint   thomas's tower the building on top of trader's  gate this tower was built by king edward the first   and the adjoining wakefield tower which we'll also  explore was built by his father king henry iii   both of which were part of a huge palace complex  that stood within these walls in the medieval era   henry in particular is responsible for a  lot of what we will see at the tower today   the curtain wall that we'll be walking along is  one good example i do want to make a note that   inside we're going to see some recreations of  what the palace rooms look like so these won't   be actual original furnishings but they  will be completely historically accurate as we come in this map is a nice little overview  to show you just where we are right above trader's   gate just on the edge of the water and you can  see the red line details the next few rooms   are going to walk through now we enter what  records described as a hall with a chamber   you can see the original stone here but not the  original roof and we can actually go inside the   chamber that those records describe straight  through here look at this beautiful stonework absolutely stunning and the ceiling gorgeous now we come back out to where the  king would dine and entertain his guests   and this is really special the remains  of the original 13th century fireplace   can you imagine this hall lined with  tapestries the fire blazing the wine   flowing and the music playing i  wouldn't mind going to that party now as we go on we'll see  some displays that show us   what the fabrics would have been used to decorate  the hall and the royal bedroom looked like i'll come through here so you can  see all along here some good examples   all these layers would have made up the king's bed and then across there's some images  and examples of what the curators   used to recreate king edward the first  bedroom which is just around the corner i love this take a look how beautiful i know some people  think the past is dull and colorless but look   at all of this all these colors and designs are  based off of real medieval objects manuscript   illuminations and drawings just stunning i'd  love that bed and over here we can see the   king's little chapel on the water look at those  tiles and the beautiful windows stained glass as we'll come back around you'll see that  the king's bed is right next to the fireplace   and this fireplace is what the one in the  hall would have looked like at the time   no also the furniture here was built to come apart  easily as the king and his court moved around so   frequently in fact during his year reign edward  the first only stayed here for a total of 53 days now we come up these ancient steps and we're  gonna head to what's called the wakefield tower   built by henry iii between 12  20 and 12 40 as royal lodgings now we come down and we're going to pass  a heavy recreation of a medieval door   imagine the castle just filled  with door after door like this   and now we come into henry's audience chamber  another fireplace up ahead and a replica thrown in   canopy to the left we see the three lines of the  plantagenet family on the shield there and a quick   view of the beautiful ceiling although i hate  to have to mention this is victorian in origin   let's get a closer view of that throne  this was actually recreated based off   the coronation chair at westminster abbey which  was designed for henry's son edward the first see all the detail there and then we're gonna  look at the king's private chapel now even   though this is henry's audience chamber the king  most associated with this chapel is henry vi   who died in the tower during the wars of the roses  in 1471. his supporters claim that he did not die   but was in fact murdered while praying here at  his private chapel since 1923 a small ceremony has   been held in this chamber every year on the 21st  of may to commemorate the anniversary of his death now we're gonna head out  of the wakefield tower and   up on to the battlements for some beautiful views i'm really getting my steps in with you guys today you can see how the tower is just a labyrinth  very difficult for anybody trying to invade all right so we're going to come out now another  wonderful door i love the way those look and here   look at that view of tower bridge and on the right  st thomas's tower which is where we just were   view oh what do i hear over here take a peek  just outside the white tower i love these guys   these are the guardians of the tower the  legendary ravens of the tower of london   they're allowed to roam the tower  complex completely free as you can see but why exactly are these birds here it is said  that should the ravens ever leave the tower the   kingdom will fall the origins of this legend  are not clear but many date from the time of   king charles ii and i'm going to share my favorite  with you charles ii was the son of a deposed and   executed king also charles forced out of his home  country to save his life when he finally reclaimed   the throne in 1660 he never quite felt secure  could never get over the feeling that something   like what happened to his father could happen to  him the king was quite superstitious and he heard   a rumor that a local wise woman had a prophecy  about the future of the king and his kingdom   and she had a warning to give him charles  asked that the woman be brought to him   and she began to explain her vision she  said she knew there were ravens at the tower   and this was true charles was an avid bird lover  and built himself a royal aviary in westminster   and the king was intrigued that she would know  this she then elaborated that should the ravens   ever all leave the tower then the king should  lose his throne and the monarchy would collapse   not wanting to take chances charles declared  that at all times there should be at least six   ravens living at the tower an order that  has been carried out to this very day   now like i say this is only a legend and we  aren't for sure just how many centuries the   ravens have been kept here although popular  opinion does date it back to charles rayne   they're under the care of a bee feeder known  as the raven master who at the time of this   tour is chris scafe chris raises them from  when they hatch and they only listen to him   much to the consternation of guests  who have their food nicked by one   although their wings are trimmed they're able  to fly in fact one made it as far as greenwich   before being returned but their comfortable  enclosure run of the buildings and plentiful food   keep them pretty happy where they are they're  fed on a luxurious diet of assorted raw meats   like chicks and mice as well as their  favorite treats biscuits soaked in blood yum so we're gonna continue along the battlements but i want to give a view here because one of  the things i love most about london is the old   and new together so look at this if i come around  we've got the norman white tower 11th century and   then the modern city in the background what a  view side by side the ancient and the modern now as we continue along this wall walk towards  the next turret i always think a little bit   about queen elizabeth the first here in 1554  when she was 20 her sister mary fearing that   elizabeth was applauding against her banished  her to the tower of london it was reported by   staff and members of the public that they would  see her walking along these walls day after day   thinking of her mother perhaps luckily she was  released after two months and will return again   in 1559 the night before her own coronation was to  be held now we're heading into the lanthan tower   which was also previously part of the medieval  palace although it was gutted by fire in 1774   edward the first son edward ii preferred to stay  in this part of the palace so at one time this was   actually the king's bed chamber today displayed  here are various objects relating to 13th century   court life such as this basin for hand washing  before a feast and over here we have a seal   matrix which was used to leave an impression  on a wax seal sort of a medieval signature as we come along you're going to  be able to see just how modern   this building is inside today the turret  itself having been rebuilt in the 1800s   you can see the big victorian  windows but the history is still here like with this silver guilt  chalice dating from the year 1200. we're gonna come back out onto the ramparts  here and i'm gonna point out something   really unique i told you already about the bee  feeders and that they not only work here but   live here as well and it wouldn't be fair to make  somebody live and work in a place without a pub   would it of course not so let's take a peek  over this wall into an area where the public   aren't allowed to go and what do we have the  keys a secret london pub open only to the yeoman   warders and their guests it's 150 years old serves  unique brews and loads of Beefeaters gin of course   inside it's decorated with old beefeater  uniforms and execution acts historical   artifacts and signature of rudolph hest who  was imprisoned in the tower during world war ii now we come past this piece of art depicting a  tower guard toward the salt tower during times   of peace most of the floors of the salt  tower were used for storage and perhaps   for salt which only the very richest members  of society could afford the tower also held a   number of prisoners throughout the centuries  including john bale puppet king of scotland   a number of jesuits and hugh draper a bristol  innkeeper accused of practicing sorcery   many of these people left carvings in the walls  while they were imprisoned here the largest of   which is made by hugh draper down here it's  an incredibly intricate astronomical clock   hugh accused of witchcraft claimed that  he had previously been interested in magic   but had burned all of his books this chart  including all the zodiac signs seems a risky   motif to carve given his charges the position of  it there low to the ground leads many historians   to believe that hugh was very ill and had to carve  it while lying on the floor and what happened to   him after his stint in the tower we have no idea  his eventual fate is still a mystery to this day we're gonna come back outside now  you can see the stairs continue on   back onto the wall walk and you'll see  there's a brick building to the left here we go there on the left this is the new  armories a cafe for visitors to the tower   but originally constructed in 1663 it was  purpose-built as a structure to test and   produce armaments and munitions although later it  was used for storage our next stop is going to be   broad aero tower up ahead but just to our right  you get a really unique view of tower bridge here   you can see its northern end coming right into  the great warehouses of saint catherine's docks   all right here we head into broad arrow tower  completed in the year 1240 and originally used   to store royal supplies and was otherwise known as  the wardrobe during its history it was also used   as a guard tower and today, it's set up similarly  displaying some of the objects that would have   been found here throughout the tower's history  such as different types of weaponry and that is   not a medieval fire extinguisher just to be clear  and over here some examples of soldiers helmets   this one is a small tower so again we'll come  back outside and this part of the battlements   depict how the tower may have appeared during a  siege in fact the tower of london was under siege   once on the 2nd of june 1460 when 2 000 yorkist  rebels fighting to depose the lancastrian king   henry vi stormed the fortress the lancastrian  response led by lord scales turned disastrous   after he indiscriminately opened fire on the  streets surrounding the tower demolishing   people's homes these angry citizens eagerly joined  with the orcists to attempt to breach the tower   on the 10th of july word reached the nobles  in the tower that king henry vi had been taken   prisoner by yorkist forces and out of food with  no hope of reinforcements on the 19th of july   lord scales opened the gates to the yorkist forces  who immediately seized power over the country   and murdered scales in their wake this little  tower the constable tower has a small exhibition   relaying the story of the peasant's revolt the  only time in the tower of london was successfully   breached in june 1381 the revolt began in  response to a third new tax in four years and   attacks that was levied regardless of individual  wealth the rebellion quickly gathered momentum   in the southeast and eventually around 10 000  people marched on London the young king edward ii   and his mother fled to the safety of the tower but  edward believed he could defuse the situation and   rode out to meet the rebels intending to return  quickly the tower's portcullises were not dropped   behind him enabling a troop of 400 rebels to walk  right in the tower was ransacked members of the   royal family were harassed and the archbishop of  canterbury was murdered richard did bring the mob   to heel but eventually found himself prisoner in  his own tower after being deposed by his cousin   henry iv we have a quick detour here because  the martin tower just up there on the right is   closed but that's actually good because it gives  us a chance to walk past some interesting statues   a clue as to the part of tower  we're going to be visiting next so just up here we've got a nice view of  some baboons these statues are made of   galvanized wire mesh and are just a few of  the animals depicted throughout the tower   there are 13 sculptures in total including  a polar bear an elephant and some lions they   were erected in 2010 to commemorate the former  non-human inhabitants of the tower of london now as we come up these stairs you're  gonna get another glimpse of the martin   tower up on the right from 1669 until 1841 the  crown jewels were kept inside this building   today they have a much larger grander  home which i'm going to show you   soon but as we turn here we're  heading for the brick tower oh but you can see just down to the right of  us more beef eater residences in the outer ward   that's cool right now historically the  brick tower is of little note but today   it commemorates the tower's  history as a royal menagerie   where royal animals were kept from  the 1200s all the way up until 1835. what do you gift a person who has everything  exotic animals of course in centuries gone by   it was commonplace for leaders of nations to  gift each other native animals in a weird kind   of zoological diplomacy the first animals on  record at the tower belonged to king henry iii   who was gifted three leopards or maybe they  were lions in 1235 by the holy roman emperor   frederick ii henry enjoyed this gift so  much he was determined to create his own   zoo henry later received a polar bear from  king hackon iv of norway and he would put the   bear on a leash to allow him to go fishing in  the river thames in fact londoners would come   out specifically to watch the king's polar bear  swimming around in the river hunting for his lunch   in 1255 an african elephant joined the  collection a gift from king louis ix of france   by the 16th century the tower menagerie was  open to the public but safety precautions   didn't necessarily exist a young boy had his  leg quote torn in a dangerous manner by a monkey   and the leopards became known for swiping  people's belongings and ripping them into shreds   a young woman lost her arm and then her life to a  lion and it's known that more than one member of   staff were fatally wounded whilst working in the  menagerie in a sad state of affairs the animals   kept at the tower were often pitted against each  other in a popular form of public entertainment   it's also worth noting that nobody looking after  these animals really knew what they were doing   many of them are noted to have been given copious  amounts of wine or beer and a strange belief that   ostriches could eat anything led to the ones  kept here being fed iron and metals which led   to the death of at least three of them by 1822 a  professional zoologist was appointed keeper of the   menagerie and conditions and life expectancy  for the animals here changed drastically   by 1828 there were over 300 animals kept here  from over 60 species and they were being kept   in far better conditions than their predecessors  although it still wasn't great but the expense of   keeping the creatures and the routine accidental  maimings or escape attempts by the animals   began to outweigh the fun or gravitas of their  existence at the tower the biting of a guard   by a monkey in 1835 seemed to be the final  straw and the menagerie was disbanded the   animals were given over to zoos throughout the  country and 150 of them moved to regent's park   the beginning of today's london zoo all right the  next hour we're going to visit is the bowyer tower   but first when we come out we've got another good  view of the city again that mix of old and new and   also you get a glimpse of the gherkin or pickle  also sometimes called the bullet famous shaped   skyscraper there the inside of the next tower is  taken up with a multimedia exhibition about the   duke of wellington that isn't possible to film so  i'm going to give you a small history the bowyer   tower is another tower dating from the time of  henry iii we believe the name comes from the fact   that the master and provider of the king's bows  worked or lived here and the bowier tower also   sits at the heart of a popular historical legend  stating in 1478 george duke of clarence brother   of kings edward iv and richard iii was murdered in  the boyer tower by drowning in a vat of mumsy wine   there's no real evidence for this but shakespeare  commemorated the event in his play richard iii   the bowyer tower was also the scene of the  worst fire the tower of london ever experienced   on the 30th of october 1841 the overheating  of a flu in the bowyer tower caused a fire   that spread along this part of the complex  the bowyer tower and the brick tower were   completely destroyed and the white tower and  chapel of st peter advincula were both damaged   at the time of the fire the constable of the  tower was the duke of wellington commander   in chief of the british army and future prime  minister the great war hero left his mark on the   tower and led a campaign to rebuild parts of the  complex in the popular victorian neo-gothic style   he is responsible for the creation of the  waterloo barracks which housed over 1 000 men   inside the tower and today plays hosts  to the crown jewels he also converted the   boyer tower into a meat and bread store  for the soldiers living in the barracks   you can see those waterloo barracks just here on  the left now we're headed into the flint tower   which currently hosts an exhibition featuring  the tower during the time of the first world war   although by the beginning of the 20th century  the tower of london was already known as a   tourist attraction it never abandoned its  role as a prison garrison and execution site   so in the announcement came that britain would  be going to war in 1914 the tower came back to   life once again resuming its role as forbidding  prison holder of arms location of a powerful   garrison and site of executions in the city of  london 1300 men who worked for firms based in the   capital joined the city of london battalion and  they were sworn in right here at the tower many   soldiers awaited deployment here and when called  left the tower to go directly to the front lines   in 1915 it was suggested by the british  army headquarters for the london district   that the tower fortress should be the location for  the execution of spies the thought was that the   fortress with its fearsome historical reputation  could strike more terror in potential enemy   soldiers than anywhere else in the country the  tower constable agreed and by 1916 11 spies were   executed by firing squad within the walls of the  tower most were executed in the miniature firing   range that had been erected here although two were  simply shot in a tower ditch these executions were   the first the tower had seen in over 170 years  and more people would be killed within the walls   of the tower during the first world war then  were during the tudor period after the war the   tower resumed life as a tourist attraction at  the time few realized that this would be merely   a 19-year gap before the tower would again rise  to the occasion of the country's return to war to the left here you can see our next  stop the chapel of saint peter advincula   and ahead of us here is the devereaux tower named  after robert devereaux a fallen favorite of queen   elizabeth the first who has the dubious honor of  being the last person beheaded on tower green now   as we come down the stairs we've got the waterloo  block ahead of us holding the crown jewels and then over here behind us you get a view of  the private garden of one of the bee feeders   oh look at that wouldn't that be an amazing place  to drink some wine of an evening i wouldn't mind all right so we'll come down here and you'll see up ahead of us tower green where  we're going to be going in a few minutes but   first the chapel on our right the official name  of this chapel is the chapel royal of saint   peter advincula chapel royal means it serves  the spiritual needs of the reigning sovereign   and advencula means in chains so you can see it  as the queen's chapel of saint peter in chains   the foundation date of the chapel is unknown  as it's been destroyed rebuilt and relocated   several times in fact some historians  think this chapel predates the tower itself   certainly when clear records  begin in the early 13th century   the chapel was outside the original tower  walls and was a local parish church but by   1241 henry iii updated tower wall surrounded the  chapel making it part of the tower complex the   current structure dates from 1520 and was rebuilt  after a fire had destroyed the previous chapel inside the chapel is beautiful but simple  and mostly decorated with dozens and dozens   of monuments in fact it is not the  church itself that most people come   to see but rather the resting place of some  of england's most famous and tragic figures   near the entrance is situated a golden plaque  that lists 34 quote remarkable persons who were   buried here between 1534 and 1747 the plaque is  an important marker because the actual location   within the chapel of some of these bodies  of the individuals has been lost to time near the top of the list are  the most famous victims of henry   viii one of whom was saint  john fisher bishop of rochester fisher was executed by the king after refusing  to acknowledge henry's divorce from catherine of   aragon he was beheaded on tower hill and his  head temporarily displayed on london bridge   before being thrown into the river and replaced  by the head of his contemporary sir thomas moore   moore's downfall began when he refused to attend  anne boleyn's coronation his subsequent defense of   papal supremacy and refusal to recognize anne  as queen and her future children as heirs to   the throne led to his execution his body was put  with fissures in the chapel but his head would be   rescued by his daughter margaret and so secretly  buried his exact whereabouts are unknown today   two of henry's wives bodies also lay here firstly  his second wife ann bolin who was executed at the   tower on trumped-up charges of adultery incest  with her own brother george whose name is also   on the plaque and treason the real reason of  anne's execution was her failure to provide   henry with a male heir and unwillingness to  tolerate his intended affair with one of her   maids of honor jane seymour her execution  is commemorated to this day many visitors   to the chapel come specifically on the date of her  death to leave flowers at the chancel where anne's   remains were discovered in 1876. later anne's  cousin and henry's fifth wife catherine howard   would face a similar fate poor catherine was  married to the king at the age of 16 or 17   and was accused of having an affair with two  men at court both before she was and while she   was married to the king a love letter in her own  hand written to henry's favorite male court tier   thomas culpepper was discovered and her fate  was sealed like anne she was beheaded at the   tower and her body put into the chapel although  the current location of her remains is not known   also on the list is lord gilford dudley executed  for treason at the age of 18 or 19 in 1554 along   with his much more famous wife lady jane gray lady  jane is often better known as the nine days queen   having claimed the throne of england from the  10th to the 19th of july 1553. her cousin and   rightful queen mary the first with both popular  and parliamentary support was able to successfully   depose jane and claim the crown locking jane in  the tower it would appear mary was reluctant to   execute jane initially but rumblings of rebellions  against mary in attempts to put jane back on the   throne led mary to believe that she would never  rest easy unless jane was disposed of just how   involved jane was in her own promotion to the  throne is a popular historical debate to this day   also commemorated is james duke of monmouth  the illegitimate son of king charles ii who   rebelled against his uncle king james  ii and was executed for his treason what's incredibly special about this historical  space is that it's still actually a working church   and holds regular sunday services that  members of the public are free to attend as we leave the chapel we're going to come  around toward tower green which is where the   execution of nobility took place the tower has  a sinister reputation of torture and beheadings   but in reality between the building of the white  tower which you can see up on your right in the   11th century to the turn of the 20th century just  10 people were executed inside the tower complex   the rest of them and there were dozens were  executed just around the corner on tower hill   near the current tower hill underground station be heading there in a minute but just ahead of  us we see the queen's house which we saw the   back of earlier built for anne boleyn and  now home to the resident governor oh and over   here we've got one of the ravens let's see what  he's up to he's just walking around i love them   so just over here by this water fountain i'm going  to take you to get a good view of the queen's   house note that it's the building with the black  doors straight ahead not the ones on the left with   the blue doors this is also the location where  guy fox signed his confession admitting to his   involvement in the gunpowder plot and over here is  a beautiful memorial dedicated to the individuals   who were executed here at the tower it's a glass  cushion representing a place to lay one's head   the inscription around it reads quote gentle  visitor pause a while here you stand death   cut away the light of many days here jeweled  names were broken from the vivid threat of life   may they rest in peace while we walk the  generations around their strife and courage   under their restless skies i mentioned to you  that this is where the nobility were executed   important people were afforded a private  execution behind the walls of the tower   everybody else faced the humiliation  of a public execution outside the walls   watched by thousands the final resting place of  many of them at the chapel where we just were as   we come around i want to show you there's a couple  of soldiers marching by normally we would see a   number of queens guard soldiers here you know the  guys with the red jackets and the bearskin hats   but occasionally other members of the military  take over the guarding role inside the tower   and here we'll get another beautiful view  of the queen's house this area is said to   be the most haunted in the tower and the ghost  of ambulan has been seen walking along the grass so we've got a couple more beef eater lodgings  up ahead on the left with the blue doors   and we're going to come around for a view of the  beauchamp or beecham tower depending on how you   want to say it which is sadly close to us today  the tower was named after thomas beaujon the url   of warwick who was imprisoned in this tower in  1397. a number of high-born prisoners were kept   in this tower throughout the centuries and the  walls are marked with their carvings and graffiti   some of which are quite elaborate notably  the name jane is present and it's believed   that this was carved by her doomed husband lord  gilford dudley who was imprisoned here from her   rooms near the queen's house jane watched her  husband being led out of the beauchamp tower to   his execution and also witnessed his headless body  being brought back and taken to the nearby chapel okay so just up ahead of us is the white  tower the original tower of london built   here by william the conqueror in the 1080s the  white tower is actually thought to be the most   complete 11th century palace in all of europe it  was multi-purpose being both the strongest point   of the tower militarily but also providing  accommodation for the king and his family   but before i take you inside there  we've got to see what's in here this is the front of the waterloo barracks today  referred to as waterloo block built by order   of the duke of wellington this is the largest  single building to ever stand inside the tower   of london complex originally housing hundreds of  soldiers today it's an administrative building   and holds many of the offices for tower staff  you'll notice outside a number of soldiers again   normally we would see queen's guards but  today these guys are different and you can   see there's a number of cannons stationed outside  all previously used on british military campaigns   but what brings most people to this part of the  tower is not the military history but what lies   inside the jewel house home of the crown jewels of  the united kingdom you can see the silver barriers   up ahead which are used for crowd control in the  summer the majority of the crown jewels have been   kept within various locations inside the tower  of london since 1303 and were moved here to the   waterloo block in 1994. for security reasons video  and photography is absolutely forbidden inside the   building the crown jewels are the collection of  the royal ceremonial objects that are worn and   used by british kings and queens during their  coronations the british crown jewels are the   only working set in europe and it is believed that  this collection is the most historically complete   out of any regalia in the world the entire  collection is made up of 142 objects containing 23   578 stones and were last used during the  coronation of queen elizabeth ii in 1952   one notable piece is the imperial state crown worn  during the monarch's exit from the coronation as   well as the state openings of parliament among  its nearly three thousand stones are the black   prince's ruby a 170 carat red spinel given to  king edward iii's eldest son in 1367 and three   pearls said to have belonged to queen elizabeth  the first shockingly it was dropped by the duke   of argyll during queen victoria's coronation and  she described it as quote squashed like a pudding   the collection also holds some of the largest and  most famous diamonds on earth such as the koei   noir weighing in at over 105 carats the diamond  mined in india was given to queen victoria as a   spoil of war in 1849 and she first wore it as  a brooch her daughter-in-law queen alexandra   would wear it in a crown for the first time at  her coronation as did her daughter-in-law queen   mary of tech with a new design that you can see  here my personal favorite mary's daughter-in-law   queen elizabeth the queen mother would also  wear it in her own crown in fact it was that   crown that sat on top of her coffin during her  funeral in 2002 and it has not been worn since also in the collection are the nine major  stones that were cut from the cullinan diamond   the largest gem quality diamond  ever found weighing in at a whopping 3106.75 carats the largest of the diamonds made  from the original stone is known as cullinan one   and it sits atop the sovereign scepter with cross   the tradition of a monarch holding a scepter  at their coronation dates back centuries   is representative of a shepherd's staff meant to  remind the sovereign of their temporal power as   head of state that scepter along with one topped  by a dove which represents the monarch spiritual   role are handed to the sovereign during  their coronation along with a golden orb   representing christian sovereignty over the world  during this time the monarch is officially crowned   using saint edward's crown which weighs  in at 2.2 kilograms or nearly 9 pounds the oldest item in the collection  is the coronation spoon   dating from the late 12th century and  was most likely made for king henry ii   or richard the first silver gilt and set  with four pearls it's used to anoint the   new sovereign with holy oil confirming them as  the supreme governor of the church of england all these items belong to an institution  known as the crown which means i don't   personally belong to the people wearing  them they essentially belong to the kingdom   and where better to keep them safe than the  kingdom's most historical and secure fortress as we leave the jewel house we're once again  facing the white tower and from this side you   can see its only circular turret built  that shape to hold a spiral stairway   and later used as the royal observatory  before it moved to greenwich in the 1670s just over here we've got a couple more bee feeders   standing in between the waterloo block and the  white tower which today has lots of open space   in the summer time this whole  area is filled with people   and you can sometimes wait over two hours to get  inside to see the jewels so we're very lucky today see there where people wait looking very casual  now another glimpse of the white tower but we   have one more stop for finally going inside the  headquarters of the royal regiment of fusiliers   the origins of the fusiliers goes back to the  16th century when the constable of the tower   was given permission to recruit citizens of the  neighboring borough to fulfill garrison guard   duty at the tower later the constable was given  power to raise militia from the local area and   during the monmouth rebellion in 1685 the regiment  at the tower was given duty to protect the cannon   as the soldiers were using a fusel style musket  that didn't use an open lit fuse meaning there   was no risk of contact with the gunpowder stored  here it was from that gun that the royal regiment   of fusiliers was given its title soon three more  infantry regiments joined the rank and in 1968 all   four were combined to create the royal regiment of  fusiliers with headquarters here at the tower this   building not only holds their offices but also a  museum dedicated to their branch of the military   you can see a statue of king george v  here appointed colonel-in-chief in 1900   and there's also on display a fusel-type  musket that gave the regiment its name   artwork depicts the evolution of their uniform  like this one dating from the early 1800s   and there are also numerous medals awarded to  various individuals historically and more recently   as well as current displays  of their uniform and weaponry the museum also tells the stories of  their various historical campaigns   their presence was key in both world wars on d-day  and in gallipoli in fact the royal fusiliers hold   the record for fielding the most battalions  of any single regiment during a war at 74. now finally we are headed to the white  tower you can see one of the ravens here   just having a little bit of a lunch right behind  a bronze 24-pounder cannon from 1607. there he is i can't get enough oh and up here on the  left you can see more beefeater houses   these ones dating from the 1700s and the red brick  building up the head on the left that's the cafe   that we saw the back of earlier but right up  ahead here are the remains of the wardrobe tower   built during the reign of king richard the  first and directly attached to the roman wall   this would have been the easternmost  edge of the tower in the 12th century   as it was the easternmost edge of the  city for the romans 800 years earlier   for years it was part of a larger building  known as the wardrobe where kings and queens   stored their valuables but it eventually fell into  disrepair and has been out of use for centuries now as we approach the entrance to the tower  i want to remind you that this is the oldest   part of the tower of london dating from the early  1080s at the time it was the largest castle peep   in christendom and today is the most complete  medieval palace still in existence it wouldn't   be until the 1200s in the reign of henry iii that  the fortifications and walls around the tower that   you and i recognized today were built it was  also in the reign of henry that the tradition   of keeping the tower whitewashed began giving it  the name that we still use today the white tower   as we head to the entrance i do want  to stop and show you a little monument   on the right hand side you'll see there's a small  plaque get a glimpse in these people kindly step   aside the plaque here is dedicated to two boys  known as the princes in the tower here we can see   their real names were king edward v and richard  duke of york edward v inherited the throne at   the age of 12 after the death of his father king  edward iv however there were claims that edward   and richard were illegitimate and their uncle  richard of gloucester claimed the throne and   locked his nephews in the tower in june of 1483.  the boys were seen less and less throughout the   summer and by autumn of 1483 they had disappeared  altogether their fate has remained an eternal   mystery although popular thought is that they  were murdered on the orders of their uncle king   richard iii in 1674 workmen at the tower dug up a  wooden box near this location and within it were   two small human skeletons it was widely accepted  that these were the remains of the princes in   the tower but this has never been confirmed  and the bones today rest in westminster abbey okay as we head up we're gonna get  a really nice view over tower green and toward the city you see the shard there  down by the ravens and now we go inside   originally the white tower would have been a home  for the king and queen filled with roaring fires   tapestries luxurious furniture but today it's  a museum holding a branch of the royal armories   on display are amazing examples of arms and armor  going back centuries check out the skirt on the   suit of armor do you see the k's and h's these  stand for catherine of aragon and henry viii   as this was one of his suits of armor get a view  here what he looked like in all of his glory   it's tricky to film through glass  but i'm doing my best for you all   come around there's another piece of his do note  that all of these suits are tournament armor   henry was a king jouster and would have  worn these on the tilt yard not on the   battlefield you can see just the sheer amount  of armor that they have here making up the wall   here's another of henry perhaps  designed by the king himself and across the way we have some  beautiful pieces of armor for   horses both for jousting and  fighting don't they look cool and behind us a truly ornate suit of armor  made for prince henry eldest son of king   james the first what's really special is we  even have a portrait of him wearing the suit   henry would die before he had a chance to take  the throne leading the way for his brother   charles to be king how different  would history be if henry had lived   another piece of his also beautifully designed and  decorated made for henry but he died before ever   wearing it and it was inherited by his brother  charles who would become king charles the first   ill-fated leader of the royalist  troops in the english civil war as we head around the corner  now you've got some more pieces   these ones are dating from the 17th century this  here is a suit made for king james the second you   can see they moved away from total armor now it's  armor and leather here's another partial piece and   then around the corner is one of the creepiest but  coolest things i'm going to show you and these are   masks of kings that were made to display armor  in the exhibition that was previously here so   left to right we've got edward iii henry v and  henry vii and then below we've got william iii   william has some hands as well lucky him and then  further down we've got henry viii of course there   in the middle with william the conqueror on  the left and charles the first on the right now around the corner here there's  another very elaborate piece never   used for fighting as you may be able to tell  look at that detail i'd have it wouldn't you just stunning and then next first this giant  suit the tallest suit of armor in the world   built for a man standing six foot eight but  we don't know who if anybody ever wore it   and then a tiny novelty suit  for a child just beside it you can see all the original stone  here still standing isn't it amazing and we're heading for this staircase so  we're going to leave this floor of the tower   and go to the next one up the layout of the white  tower itself has remained the same throughout time   but originally the tower would have  had a staircase in the corner so   these modern ones built right in the  middle are strictly for our usage come you can see armor below us we come up and remember  i told you this building was a palace   and had all the amenities one of which  we're going to see in just a moment   all right we come around a bit  more armor we have to follow the   layout briefly uh there's a really cool map  here that depicts how the tower would have   looked about 500 years ago and you can see  the white tower right there in the middle   and through the archway to the left what have we  got we'll take a peek and you see if you can guess   here we go a garter rope or medieval toilet  depositing its contents directly onto the   ground below lovely you'll remember i showed you  that circular turret earlier here is the spiral   staircase that lay inside which is closed to us  just for this moment and as we pass through this   small room there's something notable which is one  of the earliest known fireplaces in england dating   from the norman period so 1066 the mid-1100s  did you think you'd see so many fireplaces today   now again there's no filming in the next room  within the white tower is a beautiful norman   church st john's chapel one of the finest  surviving examples of norman architecture   this chapel was built for private worship by  the king and queen as opposed to the public   worship that would have taken place at st  peter advincula this chapel is served as a   hiding place for richard ii in future henry iv  during the peasants revolt it saw the lying and   state of henry the seventh wife elizabeth of  york after her death in 1503 and it also held   the betrothal of mary the first to philip ii of  spain it's a lot of history in one small place so more stores now up to the second floor  the topmost floor the top floor was added   in the 15th century and there's no evidence of  amenities like garter robes or fireplaces so   we think this floor was ever really used  for storage but past the modern radiators   there on the left is an amazing sculpture  made out of arms and armor it's actually   a historical tradition to make creatures such  as these to amaze visitors to english armories   this guy's called keeper and he weighs almost 3  000 pounds look at his feet made out of rifles   guarding the barrels of gunpowder or ale beneath  them now remember that spiral staircase it's going   to take us all the way down to the basement you'll  remember we had to climb stairs to get into the   tower that was a common norgament architectural  feature the wooden stairs leading to the entrance   could be easily taken down in preparation for an  attack but these stairs are going to take us all   the way to ground level and would have been the  only way to access this basement centuries ago   and what was happening in this basement the  chaining and torturing of prisoners in the 15 and   1600s in fact guy fox the so-called leader of the  gunpowder plot is known to have been tortured here   the gunpowder plot a catholic plot to blow up the  houses of parliament along with the king james the   first was uncovered before it could be carried  out on the 5th of november 1605. although many   conspirators were involved it was guy fox who  was first captured and imprisoned in the tower   he refused to admit to his part in it or identify  himself so he was given quote gentle torture in   the white tower whatever that entailed it worked  as guy eventually confessed in a signed statement   the statement is perhaps the strongest testament  to what he endured in the tower compared to his   signature before his time under torture it's  clear to see that he was left a broken man   when not being used for torture the  basement provided a storehouse for   ammunition and today is set up as such as we  come down you'll see these huge cannonballs   aren't those amazing and then lots of cannon  all dating back to the 1700s if you can imagine   every inch of this entire floor and many of the  towers we just explored full of weaponry like this   you can see why the tower of london was such  an awe-inspiring place just goes on and on and   spoils of war were kept here too look at this  interesting guy this statue was taken when the   british forces besieged corfu in 1809 during the  napoleonic wars the inscription reads peace to you   mark my evangelist as the figure represents  the lion of saint mark there's much more to   the basement that's not open to the public and on  the way out of course is the obligatory gift shop now if you're into your dark history and you  enjoyed thinking about guy fox being tortured   in the white tower then you're gonna love our  final stop on the tour the wakefield tower   we walked through the wakefield tower up ahead  earlier and saw part of the royal palace but now   we're going to the lowest level of the tower  the bloody tower to the torture exhibition   we know that the tower has such a  fearsome and bloody reputation but   remember from the construction of the  white tower to the turn of the 20th century   only 10 people were executed inside the tower of  london but as for torture that's another story   on record there are 48 prisoners known to have  been tortured in the tower of london mostly in   the 16th and 17th centuries and usually in an  effort to get the victim to name co-conspirators   and examples of the three instruments used in  torture at the tower are on display inside here   although this isn't necessarily the  room where the torture was carried out   the first item on display  is the scavenger's daughter   this instrument was invented during the reign of  henry viii by sir leonard skevington lieutenant   of the tower the painful contortions made by  this device could force blood out of all body   orifices leading to death although it said that  few prisoners made it that long before talking now in direct juxtaposition to the scavenger's  daughter compressing a body as tight as possible   comes the rack doing the exact opposite with  ankles fastened to one end and wrists to another   the rack would pull people in two directions  until their joints dislocated and separated   occasionally two prisoners would be brought to  the rack one to be tortured and one to watch it   was said that the loud sounds of a person's body  breaking was often enough to elicit a confession   from the spectator but only sometimes the only  woman known to have been tortured at the tower   anne askew an anabaptist was arrested for  heresy in 1545. she was racked three times   to the point where her shoulders hips  elbows and knees were all dislocated   because of the injury she received she was carried  to her own execution where she was to be burned at   the stake in front of a crowd of spectators but  through it all and never named another anabaptist   and lastly over here the manacles very simple and  very effective and at one time the most commonly   used form of torture in britain the manacles were  used to suspend a victim off the ground with all   their weight being born by their hands and wrists  prisoners could hang upwards of six hours before   being let down and oftentimes weights would  be attached to their feet to increase the pain   they felt the manacles could and did often leave  prisoners without the ability to use their hands and on that note we're finally ready to say  goodbye to the tower of london luckily for   us we are leaving happily and with our heads  still attached of course the tower has nearly   a thousand years worth of history inside and i  did try my best to give you as much as possible   but if you want more or have any questions make  sure to like and leave a comment and let me know   like and follow the free tours by foot channel for  more fabulous videos all about london and other   locations in the uk oh and make sure to come and  take a tour with us the next time you're in town   now one last glimpse behind us henry iii's  curtain wall in the white tower just behind   there's the ramp cars we walked and now we head  to the drawbridge and back to the 21st century

Channel: Free Tours by Foot - London

Views: 935,883

Keywords: tower of london, tower of london tour, the tower of london, the tower of london tour, tower of london tour guide, tower of london ravens, inside tower of london, london tower of london tour, tour of tower of london, london tower, inside the tower of london, tower of london crown jewels, tower of london walkthrough, white tower tower of london, crown jewels, tower of london history, tower of london prison, tower of london torture chamber, tower of london virtual tour

Id: JbK3-hEP0DA

Length: 64min 5sec (3845 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 30 2021