Lolling in London: Highlights from the Tower of London

A sea of red greeted us as we approached the Tower of London. Upon closer observation, the ‘sea’ is actually red poppies made of ceramic that are ‘planted’ in the former moat of the Tower of London. This installation is made to commemorate Britain’s involvement in The First World War (which happened a century ago). There would be 888,246 poppies ‘planted’ at the moat, each one representing a British soldier who died during the war. The installation is vibrant and eye-catching, which made for a great photo-op for trigger-happy visitors. It is impressive, in scale and colour.

I love how organic it looks.

The Tower of London is now a museum of sorts, where you learn about its history and its uses in the past. It has many individual towers within, each with its own name, function and history. Do wear comfortable shoes on your visit because plenty of walking and climbing (some steep stairs). Also, the place is massive! One full day should be just enough to cover about everything but we only have half a day there. There are plenty to see, plenty to read, plenty to absorb, hence most information didn’t make it into memory. However, if memory serves, Tower of London is the place where important people are executed. Mind you, not your common thieves and murderers, but royalty (three English Queens, amongst other blue bloods, were beheaded there). Also, if you have seen or read Shakespeare’s play Richard III, the infamous White Tower in which the two young princes were imprisoned is at the Tower of London. I studied the play before, so that made the visit a little more special.

The Tower of London is also where the Crown Jewels are kept, so make time for it because the queue for it is long. Be prepared to be dazzled by diamonds and gems of various sizes, cuts and colours. I would say that seeing the Crown Jewels is one of my favourite parts of the trip. I have no idea why, since I never bought into the saying that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. But there’s an innate pleasure derived from looking at shiny and expensive things, for example, all these exquisite stones in their brilliant eye-blinding glory. However, you are not allowed to take pictures of the Crown Jewels. Sad face.  

The building where the Crown Jewels are.

Besides the Crown Jewels and the red sea of ceramic poppies, you will also spot animal sculptures (formed by wires) peppered around the expansive compound. The Tower of London actually once housed a zoo, for what purpose I cannot recall. Entertainment, I supposed. But it did and so the wire-animals are tributes to that aspect of its illustrious past.

These are but a few of the highlights from my visit to the historic Tower of London. I didn’t manage to see everything, but it is interesting to see how the place evolved, according to time and ruler. One of the attractions that you should visit when in London.

Here are the rest of the pictures:

Love the uniform.

Byward Tower.

Bell Tower.

The visiting King and Queen will sleep in this bedroom. I don't think the furniture are originals.

Throne... for you-know-who.

Stained glass windows always mesmerise me.

Lanthorn Tower.

Tower Bridge.

River Thames.

Notice anything odd about this armour? *sniggers*

Armour for a boy prince.

This is self-explanatory.

Armour for a dwarf.

Residential area on the grounds of the Tower of London. No access to the public.

Traitors Gate. This is the gate where blue-blooded prisoners enter.

More on the Tower of London here: http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

The Tower of London is included in the London Pass as one of the attractions you can visit for free.