Tower of London is a group of stone buildings in the East End of London, on the north bank of the River Thames. It has served as a fortress, a prison, and a palace. The oldest of the buildings, a central tower called the White Tower, was built by William I, the Conqueror, and dates from the late 1000’s.
The buildings of the Tower of London have great thick walls. A shallow moat and two additional stone walls surround the group of buildings. The Tower of London is so strong that in former days it could have held off a whole army. The buildings now serve chiefly as a showplace and museum. The museum’s armor collection was started by Henry VIII in the 1500’s.
Many famous people were imprisoned in the damp, dark cells of the Tower of London. The young Edward V and his brother, the Duke of York, were put in the Tower of London when their uncle, Richard III, became king in 1483. The boys were never seen again. In the 1550’s, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded in the Tower, following an attempt to make her queen.
The Tower of London also holds the crowns, scepters, and other royal treasures of the English rulers, known as the regalia. The tower is guarded by members of the Guards Division and staffed by colorfully outfitted Yeomen Warders (see Yeoman ).
