Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Astronomy at the Top of the White Tower
12 March 2018
The White Tower of the Tower of London has three square turrets and one that is circular. One of the most interesting uses for this circular turret took place in 1675 when it became Britain's first temporary royal observatory.
The Peasant's Revolt, 1381: The only time the Tower of London was breached
28 September 2017
In June 1381, the Tower of London fell, not to an army of knights, archers and engineers, but to a force of lower-class rebels. The so-called 'Peasant’s Revolt' was sparked by a new tax - the third in four years - that took no account of individual wealth.
Beating the Bounds: A centuries-old tradition
19 May 2017
On the evening of Ascension Day, a group from every parish and various governing bodies in England used to walk around the parameters of their land. Each boundary post would be beaten to mark it out in the minds of the younger generations and the clergy would pray for the land along the way. This tradition was known as Beating the Bounds.
A Tudor wall under the White Tower
25 February 2016
Hundreds of years of history mean that simple building work at the Tower of London is never straight forward. Sometimes we don’t find very much, but during recent renovations to the White Tower shop we came across something we didn’t expect.
Leonora Cohen's Suffrage protest at the Tower of London
01 February 2016
Walking to the Tower of London from the underground station with an iron bar hidden beneath her coat, the Suffragette Leonora Cohen gained access to the Crown Jewels with a plan to protest.
Objects Unwrapped: A 13th-Century Condiment dish
15 December 2015
This small green-glazed ceramic dish was found during excavations near the Middle Tower at the Tower of London in the 1930s. It dates from the late 13th century and was possibly made at a pottery workshop in Kingston, just down the river from Hampton Court Palace.
Objects Unwrapped: A Tin-glazed Floor Tile Found at the Tower
10 December 2015
This tin-glazed ceramic floor tile is decorated with a deer in a landscape, surrounded by concentric circles and trefoil motifs in the corners. It would originally have formed part of a decorative floor, consisting of similar style tiles but with different animals and patterns in the centre.
Objects Unwrapped: An 18th-Century Yeoman Warder's Tankard
04 December 2015
It's the late 18th century and the Yeoman Body are ending their busy shift guarding the Tower of London. Warder Francis Dobson heads down to the Stone Kitchen Tavern for a well-earned pint in his personalised tankard; obviously a regular!