A ‘must’ for any visit to London — the Crown Jewels, the execution site, Beefeaters, ghosts and the medieval palace await you!

The Tower isn’t in fact a tower at all, which surprises some new visitors! It’s actually a castel with a large keep in the centre, known as the White Tower and which today holds just some of the fantastic items from the Royal Armoury.

The Tower’s origins go right back to the 11th century when William the Conqueror arrived in England and took the throne as William I. Over the years the Tower has housed princes and prisoners, soldiers and spies, and of course the ravens who live there still. The old saying goes that should the ravens ever leave the Tower then the monarchy will fall, so they’re very carefully looked after by the Ravenmaster who is one of the guards. The guards are called Yeoman Warders, or better known as Beefeaters.