The Tower of London 1066-Present Day

(A) Why is the site where it is?
1. Why London?
  1. Major city - lots of people.
    1. Needs protection
    2. Danger to William
  2. Link to the coast
    1. Access to Normandy
  3. To show the importance of London to William
    1. William made it the capital city
2. Why there in London?
  1. Next to river Thames
    1. Transport
    2. protect/oversee trade coming into city
    3. River = natural defence
    4. Protect against foreign invasion e.g. Vikings
  2. Existing Roman Walls
    1. Quicker and cheaper
  3. Marshland to East - natural defence
(b) When and why people first created the site
1. Why?
  1. Protect from foreign invasion especially Vikings.
  2. Assert dominance over the English
    1. Foreign king- unpopular. Seen as having stolen the throne
    2. Control his new capital city
    3. Prevent rebellions e.g. Exeter 1069
  3. Status symbol
    1. project the power of William/the Normans
    2. Show Norman's wealth and ability
2. When?
  1. begun in 1070s
  2. Shortly after victory at Hastings/defeat of Saxon rebellions
  3. Fairly soon after Wlliam had been crowned.
(C) ways the site has changed over time (turning points)
1. Limited change given that site is 1000 years old.
2. Most signif feature (White Tower) is basically unchanged
3. Early alterations e.g. Henry III and Edward I still exist
  1. Henry III
    1. Inner curtain wall and 9 Towers e.g Salt Tower & Lanthorn Tower
  2. Edward I
    1. Continued his father's improvements
    2. Outer curtain wall,
    3. Gatehouses
      1. Watergate - St Thomas Tower
      2. Main entrance - Middle and Byward Tower
  3. Henry III & Edward I
    1. Created Medieval Palace
      1. Wakefield and St Thomas' Tower
4. Tudors/Early Modern (1500-1750)
  1. Became a prison/place of execution
    1. Execution of Anne Boleyn 1536
  2. Royals no longer lived there - Tudors lived in Palaces e.g. Hen VII - Hampton Court
5. Industrial (1750-1900)
  1. Medievalisation
  2. Barracks
6. See (G)
(D) Different uses of the site
1. 1. Medieval/Norman 1070-1500
  1. Military fortress - defence
    1. Especially Normans - secure country against rebellion - see (a)
  2. Home - place for royalty
    1. Medieval palace - St Thomas' and Wakefield Towers
  3. Status symbol
  4. Intimidate/ oppress population
  5. Zoo e.g. Lions from 1210
2. 2. Early Modern 1500-1750
  1. Prison/place of execution
  2. Not used for royalty to live in - safer times
    1. e.g. monarchy secure - end of Wars of Roses 1485
    2. Henry VIII moves to Hampton Court Palace
3. 3. Industrial 1750-1900
  1. Tourism
    1. Anthony Salvin - Medievalisation
      1. e.g. Lanthorn Tower, refacing curtain wall
  2. Barracks/military site
    1. Store ordinance (guns)
      1. E.g. Waterloo Battery - guns captured from Napoleon.
    2. Wellington - builds Waterloo Barracks
      1. Could house up to 1000 soldiers
    3. Wellington closes zoo 1835
      1. Hates tourists
      2. Animals sent to London Zoo
    4. Moat drained
      1. No longer relevant defence
      2. Prevent disease from stagnant water
4. 4. 1900-present
  1. Tourism
    1. 3 million visitors in 2018
  2. Education
    1. School visits
      1. cheap entry
    2. Reenactments
    3. Information boards
  3. Conservation
    1. Made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988
    2. E.g. Medieval Wall painting in Byward tower - closed to public to protect
  4. temporary use as military site in WWI & WWII
    1. WWI: 11 German spies shot
      1. Carl Lody
    2. Barracks and for training
(E) Diversity of people and activities associated with the site
1. 1. Medieval
  1. Simon of Sudbury
    1. Archbishop of Canturbury in 1381 (time of Peasants' Revolt)
    2. Responsible for poll tax
      1. led to the Peasants' Revolt
        80,000 peasants revolt
    3. Peasants attack the Tower - let in.
      1. Find Sudbury - drag out and behead. Head on spike
  2. Ranulf Flambard
    1. 1st prisoner and 1st escapee
    2. smuggled in rope in flagon of wine. Got guards drunk escaped out of window.
2. 2. Early Modern
  1. Anne Boleyn - Hen VIII's 2nd wife
    1. Both coronation (1533) and beheading (1536) took place in Tower
      1. Beheaded on Tower Green
        French swordsman - executioner
    2. Henry had 'Queen's Apartments' built for her
      1. Imprisoned in them before her execution
  2. Guy Fawkes
    1. Interrogated and tortured in the Tower
    2. 1605 Gunpower plot
      1. Blow up parliament & James I - make life better for Catholics
3. 3. Industrial
  1. Duke of Wellington
    1. War hero - defeated Napoleon at Waterloo 1815
    2. Constable of the Tower for 26 yrs 1826-52
    3. Updated tower as military site
      1. Built Waterloo Barracks
        After Grand Storehouse burnt down in 1841
        House 1000 soldiers
      2. Drained moat
        No longer relevant. Stop disease spreading
      3. Hated tourists - got rid of Zoo 1835
  2. Anthony Salvin
    1. Architect
      1. Gothic Revivalist
    2. Carried out medievalisation of Tower
      1. Victorian conservation - rebuild in original medieval style
      2. e.g. Rebuilt Lanthorn Tower, refaced the curtain wall. Rebuilt the bridge that connects Wakefield and St Thomas' tower.
      3. Appeal to tourists
        500,000 by 1900
4. 4. Modern
  1. Kray Twins
    1. London Gangsters - from East End
      1. Notoriously violent
      2. Feared and loved
        Working class heros
    2. Arrested and held in Tower for not tuening up for national service 1952
      1. Last prisoners of the Tower
    3. Different from other key people - working class
      1. Diversity
  2. Josef Jakobs
    1. German Spy in WWII
    2. Last person executed in the Tower -1941
5. Activities
  1. Prison
  2. Fortress
  3. Zoo
  4. Royal Mint
  5. Store Crown Jewels
  6. barracks
  7. Royal Palace
  8. Grow Veg - WWII
  9. Conservation
    1. Change in attitude
      1. Victorian - medievalisation - rebuild to make it look like the original
        Romanticised view of Tower
      2. Modern: Protect what is there
        Build anything new in modern style - clear division between new and old
  10. Tourism

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The Tower of London 1066-Present Day

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