The Tower over time Interactive Images

Before the Romans arrived

Before the Romans invaded Britain, the site where the Tower of London would be built was home to a small farming community. People may have lived in several huts that were built up the hill to avoid flooding.

Constructing a Tower

Londinium was founded in around 50AD, reinforced with landward defensive walls between the years 190 and 225, finally completed with the addition of the Riverside Wall between 270 to 80AD.

Londinium was an important trading town with a bustling community, bathhouses, theatres, a fort and residential buildings. City walls not only provided defence but also added to Londinium’s prestige.

Close to the river

Being next to the River Thames also meant the Romans could control the waterways into London. This was also really important for trade and transport.

Remains of the wall

Next to the Tower of London, you can still see a piece of the 2,000-year-old Roman Wall.

Building on the remains

After the Romans left London, the city was attacked many times, firstly by the Saxons (from around where Germany is now) and then by the Vikings (from around where Scandinavia is now).

Though the walls were periodically repaired (particularly by Alfred the Great in the 9th century), and were still massive defensive features, they were in relatively poor condition by 1066.

William the Conqueror, following his victory at the battle of Hastings, repaired these walls and used them as the eastern and southern defences of his new castle.

The White Tower

Building started on the Great Tower at the centre of the fortress, the White Tower in 1078 This replaced an earlier timber framed castle.

Construction of the White Tower, was completed in around 1100, almost 1,000 years ago.

Stone from France

The White Tower is built using a number of different stones, most of which are from England. However, Caen Stone (quarried near the city of Caen) was brought in by ships from William's dutchy (where he was duke) of Normandy (in modern day France).

His new great tower was the tallest building in England when it was completed, and it told the locals that the Normans were here to stay.

Protecting the Tower

In the late Medieval times, Kings Henry III and Edward I built stone walls all the way around the White Tower to protect it from attack.

In 1381, the Tower's new defences were tested and failed as the Tower was invaded by angry protesters during the Peasants' Revolt.

While the Tower was besieged several times during its history (following many of which it surrendered) this was the only occasion where the defences were breached violently.

Royal lodgings

The Kings of late Medieval England (1200s to 1400s) expanded William's fortress so it became better protected and more like a comfortable royal palace. More majestic, richly decorated spaces were added like royal bedchambers and a great hall.  

St Thomas Tower, the Wakefield Tower and the Lanthorn Tower at the Tower of London are today known collectively as 'the Medieval Palace’.

Animals at the Tower

From the 1200s to 1835 the Tower of London was home to collection of exotic animals.

The first animals that arrived at the Tower were gifts from the royal families of other countries, such as lions from the Holy Roman Emperor in 1235. By the early 1800s, nearly 300 animals lived at the Tower, including an elephant.

The elephant was the first to travel to England since the Roman period and people flocked to see it. However, the keepers of the Tower animals in Medieval times did not know very much about how to look after these new and unusual creatures.

Changes to the Tower

The Tower of London changed a lot during the reign of Henry VIII. He added new buildings and decorated the old buildings so they looked smart enough for the coronation of his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Henry ordered that the old-fashioned pyramid roofs on top of the White Tower be taken down and replaced with more modern renaissance cupolas or 'onion domes' - so called, because they are shaped like onions.

This gave the White Tower a more luxurious profile, particularly when seen from the Thames.

More renovations

Henry VIII renovated many of the buildings at the Tower of London, in preparation for the coronation of his second wife, Anne Boleyn. In the area where the ravens' cages now stand, there was a complex of buildings that were enhanced by Henry at this time, including renovating the hall built by Henry III, rebuilding the Queens lodgings and creating a private garden for his new queen.

Sadly, only three years later, the Tower was also where Anne was executed. Anne stayed in these new rooms before her coronation in 1533. In 1536, she returned to the Tower as a prisoner where she was held in the same rooms.

Tudor prisoners at the Tower

Throughout its history, the Tower was used as a prison – but this became more prominent during the Tudor period. In particular the Tower was used as a prison for people accused of either treason or heresy.

There were many arguments over what the national religion should be in Tudor times. Because of this, the Tower held lots of religious prisoners. People were also sent to the Tower for disagreeing with Henry's marriages.

It is often thought that all Prisoners brought to the Tower by boat would enter via Traitors Gate, however, we now know that most came through the main gates, and in particular Anne Boleyn was brought into the Tower as a prisoner through the Byward Postern.

Thomas Abel and the Beauchamp Tower

Thomas Abel, who was Chaplain to Katherine of Aragon, was imprisoned in the Upper Beauchamp Tower under Henry VIII. Abel was imprisoned for protesting Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn. He was later accused of treason and executed in 1540.

Some prisoners attempted to escape the Tower, including the Tudor Jesuit Priest, Father John Gerrard. 

Thomas Abel was one of many prisoners who carved graffiti into the walls of the Tower of London. In Abel's case, he carved his name followed by the letter 'A' inside a bell to respresent his surname.

Sir Walter Raleigh & the Bloody Tower

Sir Walter Raleigh, a writer, explorer and statesman, was bought to the Tower as a prisoner three times under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, and later King James I. 

As a high-status prisoner, Raleigh lived here relatively comfortably, although he was not allowed to leave the Tower. His family could stay with him, he had a library of books and he grew exotic plants and herbs in the garden, from which he created cordials and medicines.

The room on the first floor of the Bloody Tower (pictured above) is presented as it might have been during Raleigh’s imprisonment, which spanned a total of 14 years.

Wealthy prisoners paid for their board and lodging and could decorate their cells in a manner befitting their status and wealth. This included comfortable furniture, wall hangings and access to servants and good food. 

More changes to the Tower

At the start of the Victorian Era, the Duke of Wellington took on the role of Constable at the Tower of London.

The Victorian era gave way to lots of changes to the Tower of London. Some of the old Medieval buildings were pulled down so modern buildings could take their place. These buildings were constructed in the new Neo-Gothic style to better fit in with the Tower’s ancient aesthetic. One of these new modern buildings was the Waterloo Block, where the Crown Jewels are now kept.

A medieval look

When it was opened to the general public in 1842, the Tower’s reputation and many myths began to grow. Victorian architects such as Antony Salvin created the faux-medieval look of the Tower. 

Above you can see an example of the resotoartion work that took place around the Tower. The Wakefield Tower was built by Henry III (1207 to 72) as royal lodgings between 1220 and 1240 and originally sat at the river’s edge. The tower was restored in the 19th century by Anthony Salvin (1799 to 1881). There is a clear difference between the two types of stone used for the lower and upper levels of the tower wall in this image. 

A new Tower experience

As the Tower had now become a popular tourist destination, work had to be done to keep guests entertained.

Ghost stories, the legend of the ravens, the sinister and bloodthirsty tales from the Tower originated to entertain visitors.

However, the Duke of Wellington was not keen on the large numbers of tourists who were now visiting the Tower. 

The Tower of London today

Today, the tower of London is one of the world’s leading tourist attractions and a world heritage site, attracting visitors from all over the world.

The Tower also operates a thriving programme for schools, families and community groups with workshops, events, exhibitions and activities every year.

Life at the Tower

After all of the visitors have left for the day, and the Tower's doors close, the site embraces a thriving community within its walls.

The Tower of London is still home to the Yeomen Warders and their families, the Resident Governor, and a garrison of soldiers. There is a doctor and a chaplain. There is even a pub just for the Yeoman Warders.

Superbloom & the Platinum Jubilee

In June 2022, Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. To celebrate the Tower of London hosted the Superbloom, a new natural landscape surrounding the Tower of London.

Over 20 million flower seeds were sown in the moat in early 2022. Designed to bloom and evolve over the course of the summer in harmony with nature, Superbloom became a new haven for pollinators in London and a space to celebrate the value of nature for wellbeing.

The Coronation of King Charles III - 2023

The Coronation Ceremony of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place on 6 May 2023. Like previous coronations, it combined ancient traditions and adaptations reflecting our modern world. 

On the day of the ceremony, a gun salute was held at the Tower of London with canon fire that coincided with the crowning of King Charles III.

To mark the historical moment the Tower of London also held the Tower of London Schools Coronation Competition. Children and young people from hundreds of schools nationwide designed their own illustrated Coronation benches, exploring their hopes for the future during the reign of King Charles III.

The Tower Remembers

The Tower is well known for its art installations commemorating remembrance. In May 2025, to mark the 80 year anniversary of the end of World War 2, a display of approximately 30,000 ceramic poppies was installed inside the Tower's walls.

Prior to this, in 2014 the Tower marked the centenary of the outbreak of The First World War (WWI) with the commemorative art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw the moat filled with thousands of ceramic poppies.

Then in 2018 the Tower once again became a site of commemoration, marking 100 years since the end of WWI with Beyond the Deepening Shadow.