The Tower of London
The Tower of London was begun in 1078 by William the Conqueror. Successive
monarches added towers, walls and a huge moat over the centuries. It was
here that traitors were brought to be executed, via the traitors gate by
boat from the Thames, before being beheaded.
These days it is rare for visitors to be beheaded, and the crown jewels
can be seen, along with the Royal Armouries. In summer the queues can be
quite long.
Next to the Tower of London is Tower Bridge, which is considerably newer,
being built in Victorian times. It is also open to the public, and houses
a museum of the bridge, along with wonderful views from the overhead walkways
and the fine victorian steam engines which until recently were still used
to open the bridge to allow ships to pass. This bridge is the unual shape
it is, as originally pedestrians has the right to cross the river by the
upper walkways when the bridge was open for shipping.
