It seems fitting that today, on the funeral of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, I should recount a highlight of our week in London. We visited the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.
The tower is part of the historic royal palaces trust so entrance is included with our membership.
Our journey took us past a few other iconic towers
But thankfully we were admitted via the tourists entrance
not the Traitors gate used to ferry prisoners via the Thames into the Towers fortifications whilst they awaited trial or dungeons for torture until they confessed their crimes.
The White Tower was originally build by William the conqueror as a royal residence after he arrived in 1066, by 1100s it was also serving as a secure prison, right up until the Kray twins conviction in 1950s.
In the 12th and 13th centuries the site around the White tower was expanded with fortifications and is more or less what we know today. The tradition of keeping the crown jewels in the tower probably started during Henry III reign (1216-1272) but in 1649 Cromwell decreed that the historic coronation regalia should be melted down, defaced or destroyed. Only a 12th century spoon used for annointing the monarch
and 3 ceremonial swords survived and were returned when Charles II regained the throne in 1660. The jewels are now kept in the Jewel tower, which involved a lengthy 30 minute queue, but there was plenty to look at outside, well heeled visitors
and well armed guards
Photography isn’t permitted in the Jewel tower, but there were a lot lot more priceless objects on display than just the familiar crowns orbs and gems that we are familiar with today, the Scottish crown
And the welsh Coronet of Charles, made in 1969 for his investiture as Prince of Wales, I heard him say recently that he had mixed feelings about it, but it rather fascinated me
Although not in the same league as the highly bejewelled crowns worn by our monarchs
Of course all these crowns need guarding and that job falls to the Yeomen of the guard who are on duty 24/7 although their duties are probably more aimed at keeping the tourists happy
And then there’s the historic ravens that inhabit the tower
Who don’t always keep the tourists happy-but what can you expect if you poke a finger at a wild animal
of course there was a lot more to see within the tower, the royal mint used to be housed in the tower, and there’s the royal armoury and the views from the tower
But today is for remembering Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II
