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Begun by William the Conqueror in 1078, The Tower of London is one of the world's most famous fortified buildings, and now welcomes two million visitors each year.

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Through its 900 year history it has been a palace, a prison, a royal mint and even a zoo! Today the 18 acre riverside site is home to the Crown Jewels, the Yeoman Warders (sometimes popularly known as Beefeaters, who are the traditional guards at the tower) and the legendary ravens.

On 19th of May 1536 Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the tower, having been accused of adultery and incest.  Under the circumstances her last words were rather polite. She was beheaded with a clean blow of the axe. The executioner received £24 for his trouble.

Prior to being imprisoned and perhaps beheaded, prisoners were often brought to the tower by water through traitors gate. The gate can still be seen from inside the tower and the bricked up entrance to the gate is still visible from the river.

On his visit to London, the poet William McGonagall (1825-1902) visited the Tower of London and included a verse about it in his awful poem "Jottings of London".

Look out for the ravens at the Tower of London. Legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave then the White Tower will crumble and the monarchy will crumble too. From time to time to keep up the numbers and avoid testing the legend, new ravens are introduced. They live on a diet of raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood. The ravens are so well looked after that they live for over 4 times the normal lifespan for ravens in the wild.

The ravens have had their wings clipped to prevent them from flying away but with all the pampering they receive and such tasty meals on the menu it's rather unlikely that they would want to leave.

Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB
Tel: +44 (0)870 7566 060

Summer 2008 Opening Times -  01 March - 31 October
Tuesday - Saturday 09:00 - 17:30
Sunday - Monday 10:00 - 17:30
Last admission 17:00

Winter 2008 Opening Times -  01 November - 29 February
Tuesday - Saturday 09:00 - 16:30
Sunday - Monday 10:00 - 16:30
Last admission 16:00