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The White Tower, as seen from the South West, showing the original - but now externally much altered entrance at ground level

The White Tower

The White Tower is a central tower at the Tower of London. The great central keep was built by William the Conqueror and finished by his sons and successors, William Rufus and Henry I, around 1087. It is a massive construction, 90 feet (27.4m) high and 118 feet (35.9m) by 107 feet (32.6m) across, the walls varying from 15 feet thickness at the base to almost 11 feet in the upper parts. Above the battlements rise four turrets; three of them are square, but the one on the north-east is circular. This turret once contained the first royal observatory. The four weather vanes on the turrets of the tower date from 1669. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2304 × 3072 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2304 × 3072 pixel, file size: 3. ... Download high resolution version (1417x1296, 233 KB)Tower of London, seen from the river, with a view of Traitors Gate, created by Viki Male 17/09/03 16:38  ©  This image is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (1417x1296, 233 KB)Tower of London, seen from the river, with a view of Traitors Gate, created by Viki Male 17/09/03 16:38  ©  This image is copyrighted. ... Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... William II (c. ... Henry I (circa 1068 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and the first born in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. ...

Henry III - 1216-72 - refurnished the Chapel and had the exterior of the building whitewashed in 1240, which is how the tower got its name. Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) was crowned King of England in 1216, despite being less than ten years of age. ...

A royal council chamber occupied the middle floor. In this chamber in 1399 Richard II was forced to sign away his throne to Henry IV, and in 1483 Richard III summarily sentenced Lord Hastings to death. Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born in Bordeaux and became his fathers successor when his elder brother died in infancy. ... Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings of Hungerford (~1431 - 1483) became one of the great powers of the realm during the reign of Edward IV of England, but after being found for conspiracy against one time companion, Richard III, was executed a week later. ...

Its walls are now home to displays from the Royal armouries including original armours worn by Henry VIII and Charles I plus a reconstructed display of the massive collection of weapons once housed in the Grand Storehouse. Visit the 'Spanish Armoury' which contains The Tower's historic instruments of torture, including the infamous block and axe. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ...

Randulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham, the First recorded prisoner at the Tower of London, was imprisoned in the White Tower on the orders of King Henry I in 1100, escaped in 1101 and fled to Normandy, using a rope smuggled to him in a pot of wine. Henry I (c. ...

There are suspicions that the Princes in the Tower were truly murdered in the White Tower rather than in the legendary Bloody Tower, but like most of the story, evidence is unclear. The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais, 1878, part of the Royal Holloway picture collection The Princes in the Tower, Edward V of England (November 4, 1470 – 1483-5?) and his brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (17 August 1473...

Elizabeth I's mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed in the White Tower in 1536. Her husband, Henry VIII, wanted to divorce her, the reasons for which are left to speculation, and she was accused of treason, which was punishable by death. Elizabeth I redirects here. ... Anne Boleyn, 1st Marchioness of Pembroke[1] (ca. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

In 1974, there was a bomb explosion in the mortar room in the White tower leaving one person dead and 41 injured. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, however the police were investigating suspicions that the IRA was behind it.[1]

External links

Entry on Images of England

Historical Royal Palaces

Coordinates: 51.508098° N 0.075977° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...