Tower of London
The Tower of London was founded as a royal Norman castle by William The Conqueror in 1078. After taking the English crown in 1066, he established this huge fortress as his stronghold near the Thames river.
The Tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. It also houses the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
Visit March 2003
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I have been inside on 2 occasions, but that was so long ago I couldn't move myself to count this as a visited world heritage site. Yesterday however I managed to take some pictures from the outside on a whirlwind visit to London. So now The Tower of London is official part of my list of visited sites.
Latest news from the scene: the entrance fee is now up to 12 pounds (Europeans who are shocked by prices in euros should go to London, where everything is expensive beyond imagination), there are building works on the outer walls and there are even queues at the entrance on a rainy day in March.
Reviews
Kevin (USA):
I visited the Tower of London in January 2009 and was amazed by it. The tower, being close to 1000 years old is in much greater shape than the Angkorwatt temples that I had visited around the same age. The tower affords some wonderful views of the Thames River and also some skyscrapers in the surroundings. I got in for only 8 pounds because I have a coupon that gives 50% reduction in admission fees. |
| Date posted: August 2009 |
I.Janssens (Belgium):
Yes it is expensive, but at least you get the feeling you get something worth your money. We were 2 adults & 1 child and wanted also to see St. Pauls before the tower. Seeing the excredible entry fee for that we simply skipped St. Pauls. It's a church : even though it is impressive and I remember the whisper gallery from an earlier visit, it is really not worth the price. The tower is, you visit the most important historical buildings in the city with vastly recorded history. It's worth it.
Tip : close by the undergound exit there is a souvenir shop that also sells tickets, forget the official ticket booth with the long queues, this is faster with no extra charge. |
| Date posted: August 2009 |
Holly P (England (Great Britain)):
I went to the Tower with my family in the holidays - and it was well worth the entrance fee! There's lots of things to do. My favourite bit was probably seeing the Crown Jewels and seeing the guards change over. It's very interesting, and I would reccomend it to anyone, especially English people, as it is interesting to know what went on in our past. |
| Date posted: April 2009 |
Stephen Brooker (UK):
As far as I can remember this was the first WHS I ever visited when I was about five, so that would be four decades ago!
It impressed then and it still does. Although the presentation has improved dramtically over the years. On my first visit, I remember the Beefeaters were silent custodians, perhaps even a touch intimidating. Now they are the ultimate history teachers. Last year I stood on the green with my nephew listening to one colourfully telling the stories of various executions. My nephew was entranced.
Despite the steep entrance fee, it is still a great day out and you can easily make a full day of this WHS. It is also unlike some WHSs very child friendly.
Verdict expensive but worth the Money. |
| Date posted: April 2008 |
():
I'm from the US. My visit to the Motherland was very special to me. To see my heritage before 1776 really opened my eyes. There is a very deep connection between the US and the UK that will NEVER be dissolved no matter how many declarations we write. So much of what we are comes from what we were. I'm extremely proud. |
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Emilia Bautista King (U.S.A.):
I wish I could remember more about my visit but it was almost 20 years ago! I do remember being in awe over the jewels. |
| Date posted: March 2006 |
Chika Sylva-Olejeme (Nigeria):
it unbelivable how my experience here have changed the way see a whole nation of Great Britain it's worth the UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Date posted: October 2005 |
Ben Pastore (USA):
Hundreds of years of British history and intrigue wrapped up in a medley of ancient towers, forts and embattlements. Plus, the Queen had a pretty nice jewelery collection. For some fantastic insight on the Tower Complex, I recommend a computer game called Traitor's Gate, where as a secret agent you must infiltrate the tower's defenses by exploring its various compenents while piecing together several clues related to the tower's history. I don't recommend attempting this in real life, but the role-playing game does this WH List justice. |
| Date posted: June 2005 |
Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
It´s certainly true that the entrance fee for the Tower is out of this planet (same for other London attractions like Buckingham Palace) and the lines are about a kilometer long, but this is worth it. The Tower of London is one of Britain´s most interesting attractions, not the least because of its traditions - the ravens, the beefeaters, the stories about the executions. And then of course its highlight - the crown jewels. High security, and you wouldn´t want to get caught taking a picture - they will rip the film out of your camera. But still a very exciting visit, also in terms of historical aspects (William the Conqueror, the Normans) and architecture (the White Tower, also the nearby Tower Bridge). |
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Ian Cade (England):
 The tower is one of the best-preserved medieval palaces/ fortifications in the world, and it is made even more incredible as it is in the centre of one of Europe’s largest cities. It has a wealth of history that puts it a central place in several centuries of one of the major European powers. And it has an incredible collection of jewels and armour, the equal of nearly anywhere else in the world.
This should all make for a rewarding visit, but for me it really does not. There are several issues, first there is the incredible entry fee £16.50 (€21/ $33 almost twice the controversial foreign visitors rate at the Taj Mahal) I am struggling to think of another cultural site on the World Heritage list that charges so much for entry. The tower can at times seem lost among the larger buildings that surround it, many of these buildings really add to the character of London, such as Tower Bridge or the modern City Hall, however the incredibly ugly concrete hotel at St Katherine’s dock really does detract from the site as a whole. This makes the Tower feel small and doesn’t really illustrate its significance.
The Tower is always busy; there are queues even on dull weekdays in winter, this is to be expected and I always give the benefit of the doubt to busy places as I, like everyone else, am a tourist as well. The tours offered by the Yeoman Warders/ Beefeaters can range from very informative to a cartoon style pastiche of the history that is on display. Also on a personal note I am not particularly interested in jewels and armour so being shuffled past on a conveyor belt is not something that greatly improves the experience for me, but everyone is different.
All in all I am always left feeling that my time and money could have been better spent elsewhere in London, especially in the wealth of free world class museums and galleries, which make this exceptionally expensive city a manageable experience. I would never tell anyone not to visit the Tower, because it is a very important place and worthy of its inscription on the world heritage list, but I just feel that it will only ever disappoint me. |
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C H Ho (Hong Kong, China):
There are many ghost stories inside Tower of London, but you must forget all those stories after visiting the Jewel Tower! You just guess how much the value of those jewels when you leave Tower of London. |
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Rob Wilson (UK):
Despite the high cost of entry (London is the world's 2nd most expensive city), the Tower of London is an excellent experience. It will take you at least half a day to explore the whole site and the incredible history just grabs you from old sides.
I just wish it cost less! |
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Sri Ganesh (USA):
I visited this site in mid October 2002 on a visit from the USA. Even though the 11.50 UK pounds seemed a little steep for entry into the tower, I decided to go in and explore the various towers. Very soon I realised that I have realised the value of my money. The British crown jewels display from centuries ago was very impressive! A chill went up my spine while standing at the scaffolding site where some royal families were 'put' to death!
I took a cruise on river Thames to get back to Westminster. |
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