Mike's Travel Snaps

--XTC, "Towers of London" (1980)

Outside the Walls A view from the north side of the Tower. The Tower of London isn't a tower per se, but a fortified compound containing a number of towers and buildings. The two tallest towers in this picture are part of the White Tower, the central structure within the walls (see below). The round towers along the inner walls are Bowyer Tower (on the left) and Flint Tower (on the right).	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
At the extreme bottom of the photo you can see joggers in what was once the Tower's moat. There was some sort of event involving hundreds of joggers and walkers this day.
Inside the Wall A street between the inner and outer walls of the Tower. The wall on the left is the inner wall. The wall on the right faces the Thames River. The rounded structure in the left center of the photo is Wakefield Tower, which was built by Henry III as royal accomodations in the 13th century. The square building at right center is St. Thomas's Tower, built by Henry III's son Edward I as additional living space for the monarch.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Waterloo Barracks This is the Waterloo Barracks, also called the Jewel Tower. The wealth of the royals is on display here, but the high point is the actual jeweled crowns and sceptors. Where the crowns are displayed, a conveyer belt forces people to keep moving. I suspect those who try to view a second time are simply taken across the courtyard to the Bloody Tower. Also in here: a golden punchbowl the size of a bathtub. Now that's some royal partying!	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Waterloo Barracks A fancy guard at the Waterloo Barracks keeps watch. Periodically, he would step forward and clomp his heels loudly to attract attention, and then noisily stomp back towards those cannons, and then back again. If someone made a dash for the crown jewels, I sure hope he wouldn't clomp after the thief. I can't imagine that's a very successful law enforcement technique.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
White Tower The aforementioned White Tower. Inside, there are some pretty good exhibits which give you a feel for life in the Tower centuries ago. The most interesting display (and judging by the reaction of other visitors, I'm not alone in this assessment) were of the medieval restroom facilities (for show only, thank you very much). Uh, picture an outhouse on the second story of a stone building with, basically, a chute to the exterior. And this is the way royalty lived! It's amazing how, in one century, the rich can live in a manner that several hundred years later would seem like poverty.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Tower Bridge above Traitors' Gate The Tower Bridge seen beyond the outer wall. The dark arch below it is Traitors' Gate, a one-time entrance from the river that derived its name from the many doomed prisoners who were brought into the Tower this way. That's St. Thomas's Tower making another appearance on the left.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Beauchamp Tower This is a shot from the upper story window of Beauchamp Tower. In the chamber in which I was standing, many prisoners of high rank were kept here. Many prisoners carved their name and various inscriptions into the wall, and these are kept intact and on display. The green patch in the foreground is where scaffolding was set up for some high-profile executions, including Henry VIII's second and fifth wives (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) in the 16th century. Private executions were given when it was decided to spare the condemned or the monarch (or both) embarrassment; most executions were done publicly outside the castle walls.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.
Beyond the Scaffold Site is a courtyard between the Waterloo Barracks (left), the White Tower (right), and the Fusiliers' Museum (center).
Fusiliers' Museum This is the courtyard I just mentioned between the Waterloo Barracks and the White Tower. Straight ahead is the Fusiliers' Museum, which I did not have an opportunity to visit.	Click on the above image to see a larger version.