Off with their Heads!

I finally got to go to the Tower of London! I was so happy all morning on the way to the Tower. I was recounting gruesome tales with gleeful pleasure and receiving quite a few raised eyebrows from fellow students. But it was a good thing I knew enough history to be my own guide, because at when we arrived and were ready to join a Beefeater tour, we were told that since we were an academic group we weren't allowed to join the tours. The disappointment was great in our group.

But it wasn't too terrible. There was much to do and see. If one doesn't like to rush through a museum, plan a whole day just for the Tower. Even two days. There is the Crown Jewel exhibit, the medieval part of the castle, the Bloody Tower, the torture exhibit, the Armory, and even more. Those were just the few things I was able to get to in four hours. Around the castle they have actors to reenact scenes from history and to tell stories to the visitors. There are several shops and a couple restaurants.

I enjoyed the medieval part of the castle and the Armory. I love the feel of the age in the old rooms. I also really liked seeing the armor of the different monarchs. It gives the faces on the old pages a more tangible size. For instance, Charles I and Charles II were small men. Henry VIII was not terribly tall, but definitely grew to a noble bulk. Then again, I have seen fatter men. His armor codpiece was also interesting... in a bizarre sort of way. I didn't even know they existed. But I was most surprised at how short most of these great men were. Most were only a few inches taller than my own five feet and four inches. The John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III and father of King Henry IV, however, was enormous. The man was six feet and nine inches tall. 6' 9" armor is very impressive. Or just downright frightening if it was coming at you. I didn't see his son's or grandson's armor, so I can't tell if they inherited the same stature. But if they did, it would make Shakespeare's plays of them even more awesome.

I was unimpressed by the torture exhibit and the Bloody Tower. The torture exhibit consisted of a manacle apparatus, a rack, and a scavenger's daughter. And that was it. Apparently, only just over fifty people were tortured in the Tower, and then it was mostly just with the rack. But having seen other torture exhibits, this was very boring. The Bloody Tower, where the two Princes were supposedly murdered by Richard III, was small and not terribly exciting. I wasn't able to get around to the chapel where Anne Boleyn is buried. I may go back if I have time. I'd still like to take the official tour.