In 1066, the King of England, Edward the Confessor died childless, leaving several claimants vying for his throne. Harold Godwinson, Edward’s brother-in-law, was made King of England, but William, Duke of Normandy, a distant blood relative, said he too had been promised the throne.

William invaded England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings later that same year. He soon realised that he must lay siege and capture London in order to be  recosgnised as King.

Once William had captured London, he was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066, and construction began on several strongholds in the City. Oone of these strongholds was built in the south-east corner of the Roman city walls, on the site of the future Tower of London.

These early defences were replaced with a great stone tower (the White Tower) built from stone imported from Normandy. The tower was huge – measuring 36m x 32.5macross, and 27.5m tall. The Tower dominated the skyline for miles around.

The Tower was protected by Roman walls on two sides, ditches to the north and west and an earthwork topped by a wooden palisade and it remained as a fortress right up until the late 19th century.

For much of its existence, the castle has been used as a prison, and many famous figures have spent time incarcerated within its walls. These include Elizabeth 1 before she became Queen, Ann Boleyn, who was executed here, and Rudolph Hess, who was brought here after crash-landing his Messerschmidt 110 in Scotland during the second world war.

Despite its reputation for being a place of execution, only seven prisoners were put to death within the Tower before 1914, and eecutions were more commonly held at nearby Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period.

What to see and do

• The Crown Jewels
• The White Tower
• Yeoman Tours
• Lady Jane Grey graffiti
• Medieval Palace
• The ravens
• Prisoners exhibition

Location
The Tower of London, London, EC3N 4AB

Opening hours
Summer opening times (01 March – 31 October)
Tuesday – Saturday: 09:00 – 17:30
Sunday – Monday: 10:00 – 17:30
Last admission: 17:00

Winter opening times (01 November – 28 February)
Tuesday – Saturday: 09:00 – 16:30
Sunday – Monday: 10:00 – 16:30
Last admission: 16:00

Admission
Ticket prices include access to the Tower, plus Yeoman Warder guided tour and talk, live historical re-enactments, White Tower tour, children’s activity trails, entry to the Fit for a King and Prisoners of the Tower exhibitions and much more! Individual rate ticket prices include a voluntary donation. See the Tower of London website for latest admission charges and opening hours.