We were back to London on our amazing England with kids trip! Next stop was the landmark Tower of London! There is so much to see in the Tower of London that is deserves its own post. We did not know exactly what to expect, but we were shocked by the magnitude of history in this big fortress. We planned to spend three hours here, and easily spent five.
My teenage daughter’s favorite thing there was the Canterbury Tales show on the green in the middle area. Actors in costume gave a short, merry rendition of several of Chaucer’s tales, rotating throughout the day. The renditions definitely had a medieval-Chaucer hilariously bawdy spirit, while remaining family friendly.
My seven year old was endlessly fascinated by the Crown Jewel’s display. The jewels did not disappoint and were a highlight for all of us. As a history buff, I was most anxious to see the carvings in the walls by prisoners through the years.
There is a tasty cafe, plus several snack carts, so there is no reason to leave the Tower if you are hungry.
We took the Yeoman Warder Tour, given by a guard in a Beefeaters uniform. Our guide through some of the Tower highlights was a very entertaining resident (all long serving military personnel). We saw the moat, the execution sites of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey, saw the Traitor’s Gate, and heard the history of the various towers and buildings. The tour covers the grounds, but not any of the interiors of the buildings. We started with the tour and it was a great introduction.
Then we struck off on our own to see the exhibits. First we walked through the oldest tower, The White Tower, built by William the Conqueror. It houses an armor display, some of which has been on display since the 1700’s. There is every kind of sword and armor you could dream of, even armor for horses. One floor has interactive games aimed at helping kids understand history. We all enjoyed spending a little time in there, from my seven year old to my 22 year old. Each building has their own, unique gift shop, which makes exiting each building a little slower than my husband would like, but great fun for all of my daughters.
Next we saw the Crown Jewels! No photography is permitted in there, so I can’t share photos. But it was a pretty cool display of opulent tradition and stunning wealth. That was a favorite, partly because it just felt so British, and partly because everything in there was beautiful. What surprised us here was that the jewels are transferred from crown to crown. The crowns themselves are beautiful, but most have empty sockets where you would expect jewels. Apparently, as a royal, you pick from the vast storehouse whatever jewels you want for your crown!
We had no idea there were so many other coronation decorations – spoons, dishes, scepters, maces, flags! It went on and on. The only downside was that it didn’t look much like what we saw in Muppets Most Wanted. They kept you moving in there, so there was certainly no time to plan a heist. If there hadn’t been so much else to see, we might have walked through a second time. This is a kid-approved winner!
The Imprisonment at the Tower exhibit is short and contains the graffiti from many years of prisoners. The Bloody Tower exhibit has Sir Walter Raleigh’s long term imprisonment apartments where one of his children was born and baptized! His family kept a garden there. We had studied his sad story in history that year. It also tells the story of those two boys buried in Innocent’s Corner in Westminster Abbey, the poor, little Princes in the Tower.
There are also decorated palace rooms on display in this area, in the Medieval Palace display. The Tower of London was a working palace, home of kings until Henry VIII. It was not what my seven year old was expecting when she heard “palace”. Nothing in England met her “palace” expectations. We will have to travel to France for that. We saw the Battlements and their towers. There is a coin mint, but we never made it to the Mint. Even I was history-stuffed at that point.
There is plenty to see just walking around the grounds – the legendary ravens, the animal statues, the gardens, and this time of year, the artistic poppy display, celebrating the 80th anniversary of World War I. With a seven year old, we opted to skip the Torture at the Tower exhibit, though I heard it was fascinating.
We wrapped up our day with an evening stroll through Notting Hill. The street vendors were just starting to pack up for the day. Its such a charming area. We found a few tasty snacks, but dinner was at an Eritrean restaurant in the next neighborhood over, Elim Restaurant. It is so fun for kids to eat with their hands! Some of it can be spicy, so be sure to ask for mild dishes. One of the culinary delights of England is the availability of top notch ethnic cuisines.
