Tower of London has been the seat of government, home to the royal family, to the crown jewels, to various and assundry, famous and infamous prisoners of the crown.
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The Tower held the likes of Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Queen of Scots were all prisoners here. Before she was Queen, Elizabeth I was sent to be inprisoned her by her father Henry VIII. One of Henry's wives was Queen Catherine of Aragon who was the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, known for financing the expeditions of Christopher Columbus. Thomas Becket was Constable in 1162 and has one of the towers named for him.
The site now houses one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world. It is still used as a residence and has many ravens that live here. In fact legend has it that if the ravens were to leave The Tower of London and the British Commonwealth would fall. Accordingly the ravens have their wings clipped. It may be a superstition but why leave anything to chance.
Thanks to my dear friend Barbara for her help in putting this part together in the proper context.
Started by William the Conqueror on the site first used by Claudius, the Roman Emperor as a site for a fort is the Tower of London seen here on the left. The White Tower portion is in the background behind the trees. The grassy area in the foreground formerly was a moat filled with water from the river Thames.
When it was drained many skelton remains were found in the bottom.
