The Tower of London is one of the oldest and most well preserved buildings in the world. Over time, the Tower of London has been used to protect England from its enemies, as well as palace for the royal family. Visiting the Tower of London is a must for any first time London visitor, as well as those who have traveled to London a few times.

The Tower of London has been watched over by yeoman warders since the very beginning of its existence in 1078. The warders take care of the buildings within the Tower of London making sure that all of the buildings are kept safe from intruders as well as watch to ensure that none of the prisoners of the Tower of London were able to escape. Since their inception yeoman warders have been required to take an oath to the Tower of London, and their servitude of the structure and the monarchy. In early years the yeoman warders would have preformed their duties in plain clothes, today the warders have much more stately attire.

Over time the Tower of London has become known for the great number of people that have been executed at the Tower of London. Some of the more famous executions include Anne Boleyn in 1530, which was Henry VIII second wife. She was beheaded and burned because Henry suspected her of committing adultery, and Sir Walter Raleigh an explorer to the Americas who fell out of favor with Elizabeth I. He spent twelve years in the tower to be released for only two short years before finding himself back there again being beheaded in 1618.

The Tower of London has been the setting for a great number of important historical moments in the history of London, and the history of England as a whole. The Tower of London is also where the crown jewels are kept. It is unknown what the actual value of all of the gold, silver, and gemstones in the royal collection. Kings and queens throughout the ages have worn items from the collection. Having just been worn so long ago, and during such key moments in history make the crown jewels priceless.

One of the oldest ceremonies at the Tower of London that still survives today is the ceremony of the keys. The ceremony of the keys is the ceremonial locking up of the tower on London each night. The ceremony has been completed in the exact same way, every single night for almost seven hundred years. Each night just before 10pm the chief warder comes from byward tower carrying the traditional lantern lit with a candle and precedes to a place a bloody tower. An exchange commences; as the doors are locked the chief warder and sentry perform the famous exchange:

"Halt" "Who comes there?" "The Keys" "Who's Keys?" "Queen Elizabeth's Keys" "Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys - All's well". The Tower of London is a structure filled with history. A visit to the tower can be a great learning experience for young children as well as adults. Each time you visit the tower you can learn something new about the tower, its content, and walk away with a new piece of knowledge about English history.

The Tower of London is open for guests almost every day of the year, with the exception of Christmas day, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and New Years Day. Admission is charged and varies on the age of the guests, and number of people in a group. The hours the towers are open for visits vary depending on the time of the year, so if you aren't familiar with London check before you plan your trip for the hours that the tower is open each day to ensure that you are able to see all that you would like of the towers before they close. They towers are easily assessable through the Tower hill Tube Station, as well as several bus stations.

Copyright 2006 S Wander