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Audio Described Tour of the Tower of London

About the Tour

This self-led audio described tour takes you around the must-see highlights of the Tower of London. Listen to this tour on your own device, either at home or during your visit to the Tower.

The tour is arranged into separate tracks with directions between the main stops to help you navigate the Tower:

  • Narrator 1 provides directional and access information
  • Narrator 2 takes you through the history and stories of each stop

There is the option to speed up the audio and to download each track. A full transcript of the tour can be found at the bottom of the page.

The tour begins on a wide flag-stone pavement opposite the Beefeater shop near the main entrance.

Listen to the tour

View of the Broadwalk looking east towards St Thomas Tower.

Stop 1: Welcome to the Tower

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Wide shot of St Thomas Tower showing Traitors Gate and South Ramparts.

Stop 2: Directions to St Thomas’s Tower and Traitors Gate

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Traitors Gate beneath St Thomas Tower looking South.

Stop 3: St Thomas' Tower and Traitor's Gate

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View of Bloody Tower Arches looking up towards the White Tower.

Stop 4: Directions to Inside the Fortress

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Exterior shot of Coldharbour Gate looking north east with the White Tower in the background.

Stop 5: Inside the Fortress

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Exterior shot of Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula taken from Tower Green.

Stop 6: Directions to Execution Memorial

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View of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula and Execution Memorial looking north taken from Tower Green.

Stop 7: Execution Memorial

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Wide shot of the Waterloo Block, showing the entrance of the Crown Jewels exhibition.

Stop 8: Directions to the Crown Jewels

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Low angle looking north of Waterloo Block showing the entrance to The Crown Jewels exhibition.

Stop 9: Introduction to the Crown Jewels

Please note that you may need to make yourself known to a member of staff to be shown inside.

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Close up of a staff member in uniform rearranging a sign pointing to the Crown Jewels entrance to the exhibit.

Stop 10: Directions to Inside the Treasury

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A gold spoon featuring intricate engraved decorations and an ornate handle.

© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust.

Stop 11: Inside the Treasury

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Close up of a staff member in uniform rearranging a sign pointing to the Crown Jewels entrance to the exhibit.

Stop 12: Directions to The Coronation Regalia

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This image shows a collection of the Crown Jewels. At the centre is an ornate crown adorned with jewels and a purple velvet cap called the St Edward's Crown. Surrounding the Crown are various ceremonial objects, including a golden orb topped with a cross, a sceptre, a jewelled sword, and a golden bird statue, along with other items of the Crown Jewels collection.

© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust.

Stop 13: The Coronation Regalia

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Close up of a staff member in uniform rearranging a sign pointing to the Crown Jewels entrance to the exhibit.

Stop 14: Directions to The Imperial State Crown

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This image displays the Imperial State Crown, a luxurious, jewel-encrusted crown set against a dark background. The crown features a prominent central cross at the top. Its structure includes a rich purple velvet cap, which is encased by an intricate frame of gemstones, including large red and green jewels.

© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust.

Stop 15: The Imperial State Crown

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Exterior shot of White Tower facing the north-east turret with blue skies in the background.

Stop 16: Directions to The White Tower

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A low angle of the east side of the White Tower with a clear sky.

Stop 17: The White Tower

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This image shows the exterior of the White Tower, with a sturdy wooden staircase leading up to an entrance. The building's stone walls feature arched windows, giving it a fortress-like appearance. The wooden staircase has a lattice-style support structure with a grassy front lawn.

Stop 18: Directions to White Tower Entrance Floor: Henry VIII’s Armour

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Image of King Henry VIII's suit of armour in the White Tower.

Stop 19: White Tower Entrance Floor: Henry VIII’s Armour

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Image of inside the White Tower, showing the arched entrance into the Grand Chamber and a wooden pillar in front of it.

Stop 20: Directions to White Tower First Floor: The Grand Chamber

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This image inside the White Tower shows the Grand Chamber, which has two rows of wooden support columns throughout.

Stop 21: White Tower First Floor: The Grand Chamber

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Inside the White Tower, a visitor is shown sitting on a wooden bench between two wooden support columns in the Grand Chamber.

Stop 22: Directions to White Tower First Floor: The Chapel of St John

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Interior of Chapel of St John the Evangelist, looking towards the altar and arched windows. The chapel is made out of pale stone, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling supported by multiple large columns.

Stop 23: White Tower First Floor: The Chapel of St John

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Image of multiple large display cases on either side lining the visitor path, with wooden support columns in front of the display cases on the left-hand side.

Stop 24: Directions to White Tower Second Floor: Jakobs's Chair

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An old broken wooden chair in which Josef Jakobs was executed is accompanied by large green and black interpretation panels, two wooden barrels containing rope, and some textiles. The collection material is contained in a large glass display within the White Tower of the Tower of London and surrounded by other displays.

Stop 25: White Tower Second Floor: Jakobs's Chair

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Shot of 'Armoury in Action' exhibition in the White Tower, with a white 3D model of the Tower of London on a large table and a tactile map of the Tower.

Stop 26: Directions to White Tower Basement

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There is a row of cannons along the visitor path. The room is also filled with other weapons, such as rifles with bayonets, guns, and cannon balls, as well as large interpretation panels along the walls. It has high ceilings, four large chandeliers, and a large wooden staircase.

Stop 27: White Tower Basement

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Interior of the White Tower shop, a well-lit gift shop with colourful tapestries, pillows, and souvenirs on display. Wooden tables and shelving units are arranged throughout the stone-floored space.

Stop 28: Directions to Anne Boleyn on Trial

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There is a large green lawn in front of the White Tower entrance. A large tree is in the middle of the lawn.

Stop 29: Anne Boleyn on Trial

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Exterior shot of the Ravens Shop with large crowns display in the windows.

Stop 30: Directions to The Ravens

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Ravens Cages on the White Tower Lawn with the White Tower in the background.

Stop 31: The Ravens

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Yeoman Warders in formation aligned up on Middle Drawbridge with White Tower in the background.

Stop 32: End of Tour and Directions to Exit

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Transcript

Download a transcript of the full tour

Audio Described Tower of London Tour Website Transcript

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