TOWER OF LONDON -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London
I begin my London series with perhaps the most out-of-the-way attraction - the Tower of London. Most of London's main attractions can be found closer to the Westminster District of the city. You could walk in a circle that measures roughly 7.5 km from the Parliament Buildings to the point where Charing Cross Road meets Tottenham Court Road, onto the Marble Arch on Edgware Road, then south to Buckingham Palace and finally back to the Parliament Buildings. Within this area, you can see most of the best sites London has to offer. So I suppose I am choosing to work from the outside, in.
Information:
- Founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England
- The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078
- The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat
- The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100
- The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
- The Crown Jewels are held in the Waterloo Barracks
- The ghost of Anne Boleyn, beheaded in 1536 for treason against Henry VIII, allegedly haunts the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, where she is buried, and has been said to be walking around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm
Directions:
As I said in the introduction, the Tower of London is not located near many of the other sites you will most likely spend your time seeing. However, just outside the castle walls is a site that would be at the top of many must-see lists for London.
As you can see, in the centre of the photograph is the Tower of London, located just off the Thames. At the top of the photograph is Tower Bridge which - if you are spending 3 days or less in London, will most likely serve as the most easterly site you will visit. Most sites you will rush to see will be west of this area or from the perspective of this picture, to the right.
Primary Route: (Tube)
For the sake of simplicity, we will use Leicester Square as our starting point when organizing directions. Leicester Square is a meeting point for two different tube lines -
The Northern Line (black - runs north to south) and the
Picadilly Line (runs northeast to southwest). You will want to jump on the Northern Line, heading southbound. You will remain on the train through Charing Cross Station and exit the train at 'Embankment'. At the Embankment station you will switch to either the
Circle (green) or
District Line. You will get off at the 5th stop which will be called Tower Hill. The Tower of London will be directly in front of you as you emerge from the underground station. Follow the crowds to the admission booths located on the western side of the tower. Voila!
Scenic Route: (Tube + Walk)
Again, we will use Leicester Square as our home base. Board a southbound train on the Northern Line and instead of getting off at 'Embankment' this time, exit at the Waterloo Station (immediately after Embankment) and transfer to the
Jubilee Line. Board an eastbound train and get off at the 2nd stop called London Bridge (note: you are traveling a fair distance between Waterloo and London Bridge stations despite there only being 1 stop in between [Southwark]). Exit the train and leave the underground altogether to arrive at the famous London Bridge (not to be confused with Tower Bridge). You will exit onto Borough High Street where you will continue in the direction of the Thames. Once you reach the London Bridge, you can do one of two things: a) cross it or b) remain on the south bank of the Thames. You can get some great views in either direction if you choose to cross London Bridge, but personally, I would encourage you to remain on the South Bank and head in the direction of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. You can get some great pictures of both sites from this perspective. Here are a couple of my own to prove my point.
Cost: http://www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon/admissionsprices/toweroflondonadmission
This section will be less wordy than the direction section. If you use the above link you can visit the Tower of London website and purchase your tickets directly from them. Here is a basic rundown:
For visits
1 Mar '11 - 28 Feb '12 incl.
| Individual rate* | Individual online rate+
| Group rate
(min. 15 visitors)
|
Adult
|
£19.80 | £17.00
| £16.20
|
Child (under 16)
Under 5s are free of charge. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
| £10.45
| £9.00
| £8.55
|
Concessions
Full-time student, over 60 with ID
|
£17.05
| £14.50
| £13.95
|
Family
Up to 2 adults and 6 children
| £55.00
| £47.00
|
Please note my original post on 2 for 1 admissions to many of London's attractions. Click on this link:
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/tower-of-london and you can get a 2 for 1 pass emailed to you and when paired with a national rail pass will save you £19.80 as an adult which at this exact moment represent $30.84 CDN. London is one of the most notoriously expensive cities in the world and if you can manage to save $30 here and there on admission, you can manage to afford additional time in the city. This admission price provides you with entrance to the castle as well as a guided tour by one of the resident Yeomans or Beefeaters. Not sure what either of those words mean? Basically, the tour guides live with their families within the fortress walls and it is their job to protect the fortress and maintain it. They have their own church and Doctor within the walls. Today there are 35 Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. All warders are retired from the Armed Forces of Commonwealth realms and must be former senior non-commissioned officers with at least 22 years of service. You may have heard term 'Beefeater' in your local liquor store.
While I was taking the tour, the Beefeater presenting the tour explained to us that there is no official connection between the guards of the fortress and the gin company. However! He did inform the group that each of the Beefeaters receive a complimentary bottle on their birthday. Cool fact! If you choose to skip the Beefeater tour (45 - 50 minutes) which I definitely do not recommend, you can purchase audio tours which would provide you with headphones and some sort of device that will tell you where to walk and what you are looking at. Unless you are a history buff extraordinaire, the Beefeater tour will be all you want! Word of advice. Don't go on Sunday. The lines might be slightly shorter, but you will not be granted access to the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula onsite.
Secondary Sites:
Again, the Tower of London is out of the way from the rest of the main attractions, but I will list the other worthwhile sites that are in walking distance.
1. Tower Bridge - As explained above, this spectacular sight is just outside the southern walls of the fortress.
2. The Gherkin - is a skyscraper in London's financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004.
With 40 floors, the tower is 180 metres (591 ft) tall and stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange building, which was severely damaged on 10 April 1992 by the explosion of a bomb placed by the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army). It is a business building, not a tourist attraction, therefore walking into the building may not be allowed. There is an observation deck at the top of the building which I'm sure will provide incredible views, but I am unable to find the price of this activity.
3. London Bridge - The bridge from the famous song "London Bridge is Falling Down". Often times you will hear people refer to Tower Bridge as London Bridge. London Bridge is actually quite unimpressive to look at, but the history of the bridge is what some people will find appealing.
Summary: (And Personal Opinions)
The Tower of London is something I missed out on the first time I was in London. Really, at the time it was the only thing I had regretted missing. When I returned, I realized there were many more things that I still wanted to see, but I was able to satisfy my curiosity and visit the Tower. My dad and I utilized the 2 for 1 admission despite the fact that my rail pass was a day old, it was still accepted. Unfortunately, we took our tour on a Sunday which prevented us from seeing the St. Peter ad Vincula chapel, but it really wasn't a big deal. We mainly wanted to walk through the White Tower and check out the Crown Jewels. The Beefeater tour explains the history of the Tower, but trust me when I say, they make it interesting for everyone. They tell of bloody stories of torture and murder with a hint of drama - just enough to be interesting and not enough to be corny. If you have 1 day in London, you would be better off seeing other sites simply because this one is time consuming and a little out of the way. If you have 2 days in London, again, you may want to reserve your limited time for other sites, but if you can, make time. If you have 3+ days in London, this is a must. It is a ton of fun and offers great background on the history of the city as a whole. Again, please let me know what you think of this overview of the Tower of London. Also, if you have requests for any sites in any city (I would prefer to stick to Europe), simply let me know and I will do my best.
