Two new raven chicks are a ‘cawwse’ for celebration at the Tower of London

Two new raven chicks have arrived at the Tower of London, where legend dictates a certain number of the birds are required for the safety of the kingdom. The new arrivals, named Henry and Poe, were born in April as part of the Tower raven breeding programme and have joined six other ravens at the almost 1000 year old palace, fortress and prison.

Henry has been named for all of the historic Henrys who have lived at the Tower – including King Henry VIII of Tudor fame, and King Henry III who built the Wakefield Tower just beyond the raven enclosure. Meanwhile fellow new arrival Poe is named for Edgar Allan Poe who wrote the famous poem ‘The Raven.”

Legend states that King Charles II was the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower of London be protected. The story is that the King’s astronomer John Flamsteed, who had an observatory in the White Tower, complained that the resident ravens were impeding his work and requested their removal. The King was advised that if the ravens left the Tower then the Kingdom would fall – an alarming sentiment for the son of the deposed King Charles I – and so the legend has been kept alive ever since.

Henry and Poe join Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar and Chaos at the Tower of London, where they are cared for by the Ravenmaster YW Barney Chandler, and his team. YW Chandler was formerly in the Royal Marines for 24 years before becoming a Yeoman Warder, and spent 14 years as part of the ‘raven team’ before taking on the top job in March 2024. These are the first raven chicks to be introduced to the Tower of London since Ravenmaster Barney Chandler ascended to the role last year.

Siblings Henry and Poe will spend the next few weeks in the enclosure adjusting to the sights and sounds of the Tower, before being slowly introduced to the other ravens, and eventually being encouraged to venture out and explore their new home.

The Tower ravens are fed a variety of raw meat each day, plus an egg once a week and blood-soaked biscuits as a special treat. They spend their days carrying out important duties around the Tower; posing for photographs, taste-testing packed lunch items, and of course keeping the legend of the Tower ravens alive for years to come.

The common raven is the biggest member of the corvid family, and is all black with a large bill, long wings, and a diamond-shaped tail. They are intelligent birds that spend time in groups in their youth, but eventually tend to pair off and defend their territory together. The most common name for a group of ravens is an ‘unkindness’, but they are also sometimes collectively described as a ‘conspiracy’.

Yeoman Warder Barney Chandler, Ravenmaster of the Tower of London, said:

“It’s an honour to be introducing our new raven chicks Henry and Poe to the Tower of London, and I’m absolutely delighted with how they’ve settled in so far. The team and I have had a busy couple of weeks looking after these troublemakers, who require a lot of care and attention when they’re very young, but now that they’re almost fully fledged we’re ready to bring them into the fold and let the other ravens take over showing them the ropes.”

Notes to Editors

For further information and images please contact Jessica England in the Historic Royal Palaces Press Office via jessica.england@hrp.org.uk / 020 3166 6166

Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and we’re bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find themselves in the spaces and stories we share. 

Registered charity number 1068852. For more information visit www.hrp.org.uk