15 historic things to do by Tower Hill

Every year millions of people exit Tower Hill tube station, many planning to visit the Tower of London.

But there are plenty more fascinating, and often overlooked, places to discover in this area of London. Here, Katie Wignall from Look Up London presents fifteen historic things to do by Tower Hill station.

1. Admire a timeline of London’s history

Right outside the station is a large public sculpture and sundial by John Chitty and Edwin Russell in association with Mike Duffie, unveiled in 1992.

It charts the history of London from the Roman invasion to the construction of the Thames Barrier with everything from plague, fire and revolution included in between.

Tower Hill Sundial with the Tower of London in the background — Sundial by John Chitty. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

2. Walk through London’s Roman wall

Duck through a hotel driveway (the Leonardo Hotel off Cooper's Row) and you’re met with an unexpected sight - a huge surviving chunk of London’s Roman wall.

Originally built around the end of the 2nd Century AD, this section contains Roman masonry as well as later medieval additions but it uniquely contains an archway, meaning you can walk through it!

A section of the old Roman wall running through a hotel courtyard. — A section of London's Roman wall. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

3. Discover centuries of local archeology

Another section of the Roman wall can be admired in the Vine Street Museum, a free space which also includes dozens of fascinating objects found in the local area. Together they build a picture of Tower Hill through the centuries.

4. Visit a notorious execution site

Amidst the leafy, peaceful Trinity Square Gardens you don’t expect to find a former execution site. This memorial marks the location of the Tower Hill scaffold, an infamous site where between 1381 and 1747 you could gather with thousands of other Londoners to witness a beheading or even more gruesome public execution.

Famous people who met their end here include Thomas Cromwell and the Duke of Monmouth who - after a failed rebellion in 1685 - received several blows of a blunt axe to the head before he eventually died.

The garden at 120 Fenchurch street in the sunshine, with hydrangea flowers in foreground and the Shard in the background. — View from 'The Garden at 120'. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

5. Admire London’s skyline for free

'The Garden at 120' on Fenchurch street, is a free rooftop garden with spectacular views over the Thames, Tower bridge, the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London. The large space is only on the 15th floor but the open-air setting and arranged planting make it a very photogenic location. No booking required.

6. Wander through an historic dock

St Katharine Docks opened in 1828 and at its height could hold well over 100 ships packed with luxury goods like ivory. The docks were built on the site of the medieval church of St Katharine by the Tower, founded in 1148.

Interestingly, a memorial from that historic church can still be found inside the Tower of London in the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula. The docks closed in 1968 and are now an attractive marina with surrounding bars and restaurants.

7. Spot a ‘ghost’ station.

You won’t find Mark Lane Tube Station on any current tube maps because it closed in 1967 but you can still spot the faded letters of this abandoned station on Byward Street and Seething Lane.

Today Circle and District line trains still pass through this station and if you look closely you can see a flash of the platforms as you move between Tower Hill and Monument underground today!

Entrance to the old Mark Lane 'ghost' Station — Entrance to the old Mark Lane 'ghost' station. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

8. Take a tour of Trinity House

This Georgian building outside Tower Hill Station is home to an institution dating back to 1514. Today Trinity House is one of the largest national charities supporting the safety of shipping and mariners and it looks after all the lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. You can take a guided tour inside their historic headquarters, designed by Samual Wyatt in 1796.

9. Be charmed by the City’s prettiest garden

St Dunstan in-the-East is one of the Square Mile’s many ‘pocket parks’, small gardens which come as a wonderful surprise to the casual passerby. The site of a medieval church that was rebuilt following the Great Fire of London, much of the current structure was designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century. Tragically it was gutted by bombs during the Blitz but instead of rebuilding the church, it was transformed into a garden so today you can walk inside the former interior of the church and admire this peaceful oasis.

St Dunstan in the East garden and courtyard in dappled sunlight. — St Dunstan in the East church garden. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

10. Spot the ‘odd one out’ on Tower Bridge

Look again at the row of lampposts along Tower Bridge and one of them doesn’t look quite right. This is because it’s a chimney, attempting to blend in with its neighbours!

This chimney used to be connected to a guard house which the Tower's Garrison used to man. It’s not in use today but still serves as a surprising historic quirk.

An old chimney on Tower Bridge that looks similar to the lamp posts next to it, with the same bright blue paint. — The old chimney on Tower Bridge. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

11. Visit London’s oldest music hall

Wilton’s Music Hall opened in 1859, built by John Wilton who combined five houses behind an ale house known locally as The Mahogany Bar. Until 1881 the music hall hosted singers, dancers and entertainers who performed to east end crowds.

Some of Music Hall’s biggest stars including ‘Champagne Charlie’ graced the stage here and through stints as a methodist hall and clothing warehouse, it’s now a popular venue that hosts music, theatre and even weddings!

Front of Wilton's Music Hall with faded wood and paintwork. — The front of Wilton's Music Hall. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

12. Find the Tower’s liberty marks

Encircling the site of the Tower of London you can find these curious markers. Today there are around 30 and they define the former Tower of London liberty, an area independent from the neighbouring City of London. Established around 1200 the Tower Liberty ran its own legal system, police force and the people living within it could gain special privileges.

The letters 'W.D.' stand for War Department and the arrow symbol is the ‘broad arrow’ representing the Board of Ordnance, a military government department established in the 16th century whose headquarters were at the Tower of London. The liberty was formally abolished in 1894 but every three years there is a beating the bounds ceremony where school children process around the area and hit (‘beat’) the markers with long sticks.

13. Discover a lost tunnel under the Thames

Hardly anyone notices this round brick structure right by the Tower of London but this is the last visible reminder of the Tower Subway, an 1870 public transport system through a tunnel under the Thames! Initially cables would pull a carriage of twelve people through the tunnel, then they could pop up on the south side of the river via a lift. Unfortunately the mechanisms were very unreliable and after a horrible accident where a man was crushed to death the tunnel became fully pedestrianised and at its peak around one million people used the tunnel, each paying a small fee. This all changed when Tower Bridge opened allowing a convenient and free route across the river so the tunnel was used for water mains and telecommunications cables.

The front of the old Princess of Prussia pub. © Katie Wignall, Look Up London.

14. Pop into a stunning pub

There was a beer house at 15 Prescot Street from around 1859 and the name celebrates the marriage between Princess Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria and the Crown Prince of Prussia which took place in 1858.

The present building with its gorgeous facade covered in tiles dates from 1913 rebuild and was most likely the work of Arthur Edward Sewell who was the Truman Brewery’s in-house architect.

15. Visit a museum in a medieval crypt

All Hallows by-the-Tower claims to date back to 675AD, established as a small church connected to the much larger Barking Abbey. There’s certainly been a church here from at least 1086 when it’s mentioned in the Domesday Book and inside is a Saxon archway which might be as early as the 7th century. All Hallows escaped the Great Fire of 1666 but was gutted during the Second World War so largely rebuilt but descend into its crypt and you will discover even older layers of history. From a surviving section of Roman pavement to impressive Saxon stonework and a charred wooded door from The Blitz, this free museum is open daily to visitors.

Katie Wignall
Lookup London