Sitting on the banks of the River Thames, just across from Tower Bridge is the Tower of London. The Tower of London is a collection of buildings surrounded by a moat and two rings of protective walls. Its official name is his Majesty's Royal Palace and fortress of the Tower of London. It was known to be the most secure castle in all the land. The oldest and most famous part of the castle complex is the White Tower Keep. It was built by William Leconcra in 1078 after he took control of England. He built it as a show of strength and power to the newly conquered English and as a way of defending himself should they revolt. The Tower of London is almost 1000 years old and has varied an interesting history. 1000 years ago it would have stood out and dominated the nearby landscape but now it's dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers. During its long history it has served a variety of purposes. Kings and Queens used it as their palace for around 500 years. In the Tower of London there was a treasury, a public record office, an armory, the royal mint, and a managerie, which is a royal collection of exotic animals, an early version of a zoo. Most importantly however it was home to the Crown Jewels since the 1600s. Many buildings in the castle were left empty in the second half of the 19th century when the royal mint relocated. Although it was never designed to be a prison it was used as one from the 1100s to 1952, with the height of prison use being in the 16th and 17th centuries. Lady Jane Gray, Queen of England and Ireland for nine days was imprisoned here and later executed. Two English princes, brothers aged nine and twelve, were locked in the tower by their uncle, who then ascended to the throne as rich of the third. The princes were never seen again. Amber Lynn and Catherine Howard, two of Henry VIII's wives, were both imprisoned here and later put to death. Additionally Henry VIII sent a number of rebellious priests to the tower and later had them executed. Guy Forks was another person who was imprisoned in the tower and tortured. There is however one famous story of a Catholic priest who escaped. He up-sailed down the side of the tower after using orange juice as invisible ink to write a secret message which he used to get help. While touring the Tower of London you will see the Yomon Waters from time to time. There are about thirty-seven of them and some if not all live here with their family. They even have their own private pub here too, called the Yomon Waters Club. Something else you will notice while you walk around the castle is Ravens. The castle still maintains an old superstition that says if the Ravens abandon the castle, the crown will fall and Britain along with it. Therefore the Yomon Raven Master looks after them every day and they each have names. And lastly if you book a ticket and come to the Tower of London at 9.30pm you can watch a 700 year old ceremony called Ceremony of the Keys when the main gates are locked for the night. Thanks for watching. Like and subscribe for more.