For my first venture out into London, I headed down to the Tower of London, which was only a short trip by bus, almost literally just down the road from my accommodation.

In celebration of 500 years since Henry VIII ascension to the British throne, there was a large Tudor theme running in the various museums, with the White Tower hosting a large display of artefacts from Henry’s reign. This included amour, weapons as well as providing background to his life and his effect on British history.

It is interesting to note that whilst there are displays dedicated to Henry VIII taking the throne 500 years ago, that the tower itself first began approaching twice that time span.

The White Tower, inside hosted the Henry VII display. Of particular interest we 3 complete pieces of armour worn by Henry VIII at different points in his life. It made for an interesting comparison between his size when in his mid 20s, where he was still bulky, but much slimmer when compared to the armour worn in his 40s.

Tudor style architecture within the walls of the Tower of London. Which still operate as working accommodation for the  Tower managers.

With London having won hosting rights for the 2012 Olympics, the trust responsible for the tower have organised for parts of the White tower to be restored in time for a surge of international tourists and media attention. They are currently going wall-by-wall with one side covered by scaffolding and protective sheets (as well as a massive Henry VIII poster).

The tower is home to the amazing collection of the Crown Jewels and other treasures. I don’t think you’ll so much gold and precious stones in one place anywhere else in the world! Everything had been made at such a massive scale, but also so intricately detailed.

One of the Ravens kept at the Tower of London due to superstition that the tower, and the united kingdom would collapse if they ever left the tower.

The defensive walls, which you can walk along, offer good views of the famous tower bridge.

All up, it made for a very interesting day. Whilst by today’s standards, the Tower of London is a relatively small structure, there is so much history and interesting things to see, that you would need to visit across at least two days to take it all in. It is a place that has played an important role through British history, from the time the first tower was built, through to today, it was very exciting to visit a place with so much history surrounding it.

Related posts:

1. London 2.0
2. London Chapter begins
3. British Museum, London Eye and Time Team!