
Exploring the Tower of London

The Tower of London stands out from the rest of the British monuments and castles, with its diverse and elaborate history. The UNESCO-recognized monument is one of the most visited landmarks in the United Kingdom. It has served as treasury, menagerie, armory, prison, and much more over the centuries that it has stood guard over the surrounding capital. Following are some interesting facts surrounding the place.
It Is Actually the Queen’s Guard Standing Outside
The Bearskin cap and charming red velvet uniform, which people have ascribed to London for the last 150 years, still holds as a UK brand. Almost everyone thinks that the charmingly dressed men are there to guard just Buckingham Palace. As it turns out, they are also guarding other royal offices in London such as Windsor Castle, St. James’ Palace, and also, the Tower of London.
It is Not So Gruesome as They Make It Seem
It was only during World Wars I and II that the Tower of London was used as a prison. Nonetheless, somewhere at a point in British history, the place gained a reputation as a constant site of unspeakable horrors. In reality, only about seven people have ever been executed here in the far past, and more recently, another 12 men accused of espionage were put to death.
A Massive Structure
With numerous walkways and exhibits within the premises, the Tower of London makes for a really massive structure, especially compared to the much smaller image it provides on the exterior. It takes a minimum of four hours to tour around this ancient European castle.
There are Safeguards on the Perimeter Wall
The flock of medieval torture devices, ravens, suits of armor and many more exhibits at Tower of London would surely take you back to new notions of erstwhile British days. All of that is so overwhelming, it is easy to overlook having to circumvent the perimeter wall of the Tower to even get inside. After you do though, you get to catch a splendid view of London, and that even has the popular Gherkin skyscraper in it.
An Option of an After-Hours Expedition
This could be a wise option for all those visitors who wish to analyze everything a bit deeply and at length. London private tours of this place starting at the twilight hours at 7 in the evening, where the ceremonial guards called beefeaters lay out a more elaborate history of the place, can stick on in memory as a fuller and more personal experience.