You don’t have to search for history in London, there is history around virtually every comer. The most obvious landmarks are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.
The Tower of London is an open history book of England. “It has been a fortress, palace, home of the Crown Jewels and national treasures, arsenal, mint, prison, observatory and tourist attraction”, wrote the Duke of Edinburgh in a book celebrating the Tower’s 900th anniversary.The Tower of London was started by William the Conqueror who invaded Britain in 1066. He built the White Tower to impress and frighten the English. The Tower of London brings to the visitor’s mind a vision of imprisonment, torture and violent death at the hands of a masked executioner with an axe. Many prisoners laid their heads on the chopping block. Among the victims were noblemen, politicians, traitors and two of Henry VIII’s wives
The men who guard the Tower – and the Crown Jewels – are Beefeaters. They can tell you everything about its history. Their clothes are the uniform of royal guards of the year 150.
The ravens with their clipped wings are another famous sight. Legend has it that without them the Tower will fall and the Kingdom with it. Kings and queens have come and gone, some even lost their heads on Tower Green, but the Tower of London has survived them all.
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