‘This is history,’ the woman in front of me told her small son as we walked past the ticket gate and through the Middle Tower. ‘When you’re taught this at school next year I want you to remember to tell your teacher that you’ve been.’ The boy didn't look convinced but, as it turned out, her words were yet further proof that Mother is always right: there can be few greater history lessons than a visit to the Tower of London.
And what a lesson. For a start, being Norman, it's one of the oldest buildings in England (the White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century to impress his new, generally volatile, subjects). It's also the place to see the Crown Jewels (be prepared to queue). But better still are all the stories surrounding London's most infamous fortress. Where else oozes so many thrilling tales of mystery, murder and deception, awash with devious spies and their treacherous acts, thwarted plots and useful lessons on the folly of vaulting ambition? The list of former inmates reads like a Who’s Who of British history: Anne Boleyn stayed here before both her wedding and her execution, her daughter Elizabeth I also 'enjoyed' a spell here, and one of her favourites, Sir Walter Raleigh, was sent here three times (and ultimately left without his head). And let us not forget the brothers Edward V and Richard - sent to the tower by their uncle and never seen nor heard of again - and more recently those other brothers, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who were imprisoned here briefly for failing to report for national service. Is the tower the most haunted building in Britain? What do you think?
These days the royal palace — as it originally was — may be more welcoming to visitors (I was thrilled by the Traitor’s Gate and Bloody Tower precisely because when I felt like going home, I could) but its legends still loom larger than life, from the resident ravens (kept in fine fettle to prevent the kingdom from collapsing) to the Yeoman Warders (popularly known as Beefeaters). And if you really want to see history come to life, you can apply for a ticket to the Ceremony of the Keys and watch the Beefeaters lock up the tower after dark, as they have done every night for 700 years.
To find out more visit hrp.org.uk/. Find out even more fanastic reasons to visit London.
