Tower Of London Review
Tower of London
Reviewed by David Savage
We recently had the chance to visit the Tower of London (part of the Historical Royal Palaces) and it is a great educational fun day out for all the family. It is very easy to get to by tube, Tower Hill station on the District/Circle line, and is a short walk from the station. On arrival we collected our tickets from the Welcome Centre as we had booked online. I recommend booking your tickets online as not only will you save some money but the queue for collections is a lot smaller and faster so you will get in quicker and have more time to explore.
On entering they have a Beefeater tour (every 30 minutes) with a Yeoman Guard that will take you around and explain what you are looking at and tell you the history. We arrived just after the tour started so decided to have a look round and get a later tour but we ran out of time. Audio Tour devices (mobile phone looking device) are also available which have several different languages to explain things that you are looking at by pressing the number of the object that you are looking at (these can be rented for £4 for adults).
As you walk around (be prepared for plenty of stairs) there are staff in period costumes and they play their parts very well. They are very friendly and approachable and you can ask them questions. We saw Lady Jane walking past and one little girl shouted out “Look, a princess!” Rather than just walk on the lady came over and started talking to her and explaining how she wasn’t a princess but a Lady and her cousin was King, the children loved this interaction and it makes the whole experience more worthwhile and informative. You can speak to all the staff in the costumes and the Beefeaters.
There is plenty to look and I would say to see it all you need at least 3 hours to go around. If you have the Beefeater tour this is 60 minutes on its own. Things you can do are:
Join one of the famous Yeoman Warder tours and hear exciting tales from the Tower’s past (60 mins).
Visit the Crown Jewels, one of the unmissable highlights of a visit to the Tower of London (20 mins).
The Crown Jewels are absolutely fabulous and priceless and not to be missed. The Crown Jewels have been on display to the public at the Tower of London since at least 1661. Having moved from various locations in the Tower, they can currently be seen in the Jewel House in the Waterloo Block, opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1994. The Crown Jewels are priceless. Representing far more than precious stones and gold, they symbolise hundreds of years of British history and are still used today at many State occasions.
Visit the White Tower built by William the Conqueror, which today houses displays from the Royal Armouries’ collection (20 mins).
Experience the history of the Tower through live costumed re-enactments (timings vary, usually approximately 15 mins).
See the famous ravens next to the White Tower (10 mins).
Explore the story of how the Tower was attacked and defended in our interactive Fortress displays (10 mins).
Walk through the surprisingly rich colours and comfortable furnishings of the Medieval Palace (20 mins).
Decide who murdered the Little Princes in the Bloody Tower (15 mins).
See instruments of torture in the Lower Wakefield Tower (10 mins).
Discover the extraordinary prisoner graffiti in the Beauchamp Tower (10 mins).
Explore the Royal Beasts exhibit.
There are cafes and kiosks to buy food and drinks with indoor seating and there are plenty of seats within the historic walls so you can have a picnic.
This is a great educational day for all the family and as you walk around this historic building you also get to see other sights of London such as Traitors Gate, Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast.
Opening Times:
Tuesday – Saturday 09:00 – 16:30
Sunday – Monday 10:00 – 16:30
Last admission 16:00
See website for latest ticket prices.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information visit: http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/