Best Places to Visit in London: Tower Hill

This section of our London, England City Guide describes the best places to visit  in London's Tower Hill. 

• Click the links to go directly to a specific place or just read the page below to explore this section of London.
• Tower of London, Tower Bridge

The Tower of London is the premier attraction here, although many continue on to explore the Tower Bridge.  Most travelers, are content to view the Bridge and feel little need to see it close up.

We provide concise details on the Tower of London/Tower Bridge below and link these to a detailed map of the areas described. The blue numbered locations symbolized on the map are linked back to the descriptions of the attractions so you can click them and return to the feature's description on this page..

Tower Hill

The Tower of London

  

Tower Hill

The Tower is one of London’s most popular attractions and for good reason. It exposes important history, houses the Crown Jewels, and offers more medieval armor than you can see anywhere else.

William I (William the Conqueror) started construction of a fortress here in 1066 as part of his strategy for controlling both his new subjects in London and depriving access to England from the Thames by his enemies.

Originally, the section of today’s Tower of London known as the “White Tower” was the entire fortification. The name “White Tower” was given to the core tower when it was whitewashed inside and out for preservation purposes during the reign of Henry III. The White Tower is  approximately ninety feet high and its walls, designed to repel ballista and cannon balls, are said to measure fifteen feet wide at the base and eleven feet wide at the top. The White Tower's Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist is one of its most striking rooms.

The Tower of London as we see it today is an amalgam of building efforts that started in the Eleventh Century and additions, replacements and tinkering with the design occurred well into the nineteenth century. Residences, a new palace and new fortifications were just a few of the additions.  During its history, the Tower has served as a castle, residence, prison, mint and armory.

The Tower is, perhaps, best known for having been a prison for Princess Elizabeth (the future Elizabeth I), Sir Thomas More (St. Thomas More), Henry VI, Anne Boleyn (beheaded inside the Tower) and Sir Walter Raleigh, among others. The deaths of the sons of Edward IV (a teen-aged Edward V and his brother Richard the Duke of York) in the "Bloody Tower" are considered among the most famous intrigues occurring at the Tower, especially since their disappearance resulted in their “protector” (an uncle) being crowned King Richard III.

For many tourists, the greatest lure of the Tower is the Crown Jewels, a lavish and interesting collection of coronation ornaments and crowns. For others, the Royal Armories, which provide one of the best collections of arms and armor dating from Medieval times, are a significant attraction.

Finally,  consider taking  one of the tours with a Tower Warder (the Yeoman Warders) as a guide, it is one of the most informative ways to learn the history of the Tower in a short time.

Clearly, there is a great deal to take in at the Tower and you can easily fill an afternoon if you see all there is to experience.

For more information, visit the Official Site of the Historic Royal Palaces

The Tower Bridge

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Tower Hill

The Tower Bridge (next of the Tower of London) is one of the most photographed images of London and was an instant hit after its construction in the nineteenth century. The Bridge was built with elevated walkways that allowed pedestrians to cross it while the Bridge was open to barge traffic along the Thames. The top of the Tower Bridge is a great place for impressive views of London.

You will have to pay for access to the touristy “Tower Bridge Experience”, a tour that will provide more detail about the bridge and access to the engines that move it.

For more information visit the web site of the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

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Best Places to Visit in the United Kingdom