Landmark Europe
Tower of London
The Tower of London is a very old castle beside the River Thames in London. In the middle stands a big white stone tower. The king's crowns and jewels are kept there!
The Tower of London is a castle on the River Thames, begun by William the Conqueror after 1066. Its great stone keep, the White Tower, is more than 900 years old. Over the centuries the Tower has been a royal palace, a fortress, a prison, a zoo, a mint for coins and a store for records, and today it guards the Crown Jewels.
Begun by William I after his coronation at Christmas 1066, the Tower grew from the White Tower (begun about 1078) into a concentric fortress of 18 acres. UNESCO calls it the most complete 11th-century fortress palace in Europe; it has served as palace, state prison, arsenal, mint, menagerie and records office, and has held the Crown Jewels since 1661.
Photo: Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Tower of London
The Tower of London is in London, a big city in England.
It is a castle with thick stone walls and many towers. In the middle is the White Tower, with four pointed tops. Long ago, kings and queens lived here.
The Tower of London stands on the north bank of the River Thames, at the edge of the City of London. It is not one tower but a whole castle, with two rings of walls, many towers and a moat around the outside.
In the middle rises the White Tower, the oldest part, begun around 1078. Over more than 900 years, the Tower has been used as a royal home, a fortress, a prison, a place to make coins, a store for important papers and even a zoo. Today it keeps the Crown Jewels and welcomes millions of visitors.
Britannica places the Tower on the north bank of the Thames, at the western edge of the borough of Tower Hamlets on the border with the City of London; the whole complex covers 18 acres (7 hectares). Its buildings have served as a royal palace, a political prison, a place of execution, an arsenal, a royal mint, a menagerie and a public records office.
UNESCO, which inscribed the Tower in 1988, calls the White Tower the most complete survival of an 11th-century fortress palace in Europe and the Tower a rare ensemble of royal buildings that kept developing from the 11th to the 16th century. It also notes that the Tower fostered major state institutions: defense, record-keeping and the coinage. In 2025 the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions counted 2,817,852 visits.
- Begun
- after 1066, by William the Conqueror
- White Tower
- begun about 1078
- Area
- 18 acres (7 hectares)
- World Heritage Site
- 1988
A Norman fortress
Long ago, a duke from Normandy, in France, called William conquered England and became its king.
He built a strong castle in London. It showed everyone that he was in charge. Later kings made the castle bigger and bigger.
In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England and became King William I, often called William the Conqueror. Right after he was crowned, at Christmas 1066, he began building fortifications here, beside the busy port on the Thames.
The White Tower was begun around 1078, using pale limestone brought from Caen, in Normandy. In the 1200s and 1300s, kings such as Henry III and Edward I added new walls, towers and palace buildings around it. The Tower stayed a royal home until the 1600s.
Britannica records that William I began fortifications on the site immediately after his coronation at Christmas 1066, to dominate London's merchant community and control the Upper Pool of London, then the main port. The White Tower was begun about 1078 just inside the old Roman city wall, of limestone from Caen. UNESCO sees it as a demonstration of Norman power and a symbol of the last military conquest of England.
In the 12th and 13th centuries the defenses spread beyond the city wall, making the White Tower the core of concentric inner and outer wards. UNESCO credits Henry III and Edward I with making the Tower one of the most innovative castle sites in Europe in the 13th and early 14th centuries, including a palace within the fortress. Palace buildings were added until the 16th century, and the Tower remained a royal residence into the 17th.
Rings of walls
The castle has two rings of strong walls.
The inner ring has 13 towers. Around the outside was a moat, a wide ditch full of water. Today the moat is dry and grassy.
The Tower is a concentric castle: one ring of walls inside another. The inner wall has 13 towers around the White Tower, with names like the Bloody Tower, the Beauchamp Tower and the Wakefield Tower. Outside the outer wall was a moat filled from the Thames, but it was drained in 1843.
The only way in from land is at the southwest corner. When the river was London's main highway, people arrived by boat through a water gate built in the 1200s. It became known as Traitors' Gate, because prisoners were brought into the Tower through it.
Britannica describes the inner curtain wall with 13 towers around the White Tower, among them the Bloody, Beauchamp and Wakefield towers, and an outer curtain ringed by a moat originally fed by the Thames and drained in 1843. The wall beyond the moat has cannon embrasures, beside which modern guns fire ceremonial salutes on state occasions.
The only landward entrance is at the southwest corner, from the City. The 13th-century watergate, much used while the river was a main highway, gained the name Traitors' Gate from the state prisoners brought through it. UNESCO stresses that the White Tower and its 13th- and 14th-century additions were at the cutting edge of military building and became a model for stone keeps elsewhere, such as Colchester, Rochester and Norwich.
Jewels, guards and a royal zoo
The Crown Jewels are kept in the Tower.
There are crowns, scepters and lots of sparkling jewels. Guards called Yeoman Warders give tours. On special days, they wear bright red uniforms. Long ago, the Tower even had a royal zoo!
The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower since 1661. The collection has 23,578 gemstones, and some pieces are still used in royal ceremonies, such as the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. They are kept under armed guard in the Jewel House.
The Tower's famous Yeoman Warders have guarded it since Tudor times. Today they are men and women who have served in the armed forces, and they give tours to visitors. And from the 1200s until 1834, the Tower housed the Royal Menagerie, a collection of wild animals kept in a part called the Lion Tower.
Historic Royal Palaces records that the Crown Jewels have been stored and displayed at the Tower since 1661, after the original regalia were destroyed under Oliver Cromwell. The collection of 23,578 gemstones is a working collection: St Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown were used at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023, before returning to the Jewel House.
The Yeoman Warders, introduced by Henry VIII, were originally part of the monarch's bodyguard; today they are drawn from the armed forces, wear a red state dress uniform on state occasions, guide visitors and take part in the nightly Ceremony of the Keys, in which the outer gates are locked. Britannica notes that the Royal Menagerie (the Lion Tower) was kept here from the 13th century to 1834, and that much of the Royal Armouries collection moved to Leeds in 1996.
- Crown Jewels at the Tower since
- 1661
- Gemstones in the collection
- 23,578
- Royal Menagerie
- 13th century to 1834
A prison for famous people
For many years, the Tower was also a prison.
Some very important people were kept here, even a princess who later became queen. Today, visitors learn their stories.
For hundreds of years, the Tower was used as a prison for political prisoners. Prisoners included Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth I, the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes.
Some prisoners wrote about their time there, and UNESCO says the stories of the people held here helped shape English history.
From the Middle Ages the Tower served as a state prison and place of execution for political crimes. Britannica lists among those put to death on Tower Green or, outside the castle, publicly on Tower Hill, Sir Thomas More (1535), Anne Boleyn (1536) and Lady Jane Grey (1554); UNESCO notes that three English queens, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey, were executed on Tower Green, while a fourth prisoner, the future Elizabeth I, survived.
Other inmates included Guy Fawkes and Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1483 the young king Edward V and his brother were last seen in the Tower before they disappeared. UNESCO adds that Catholic and Protestant prisoners of the Reformation recorded their experiences, shaping the Tower's grim reputation.
Amazing facts
-
The Tower once had a royal zoo.
From the 1200s until 1834, the Tower housed the Royal Menagerie, a collection of wild animals.
The Royal Menagerie, in the Lion Tower, was kept at the Tower from the 13th century to 1834.
-
The White Tower is made of stone from France.
The White Tower was built from limestone brought from Caen, in Normandy, France.
The White Tower, begun about 1078, is of Caen limestone from Normandy.
-
The Tower's gates are locked every night in a special ceremony.
Every night, in the Ceremony of the Keys, the Tower's outer gates are locked and the keys are handed over.
In the nightly Ceremony of the Keys, the outer gates are locked and the keys delivered to the Resident Governor.
-
The Crown Jewels have 23,578 gemstones.
The Crown Jewels collection has 23,578 gemstones, and some pieces are still used in royal ceremonies.
The working collection of 23,578 gemstones includes regalia used at the 2023 coronation.
Words to know
- castle
- a large, strong building with thick walls, built to protect the people inside
- keep
- the strongest, central tower of a castle
- moat
- a deep, wide ditch around a castle, often filled with water
- battlements
- the top of a castle wall, with gaps for defenders to look through
- Crown Jewels
- the crowns, jewels and other precious objects used by a king or queen in ceremonies
- menagerie
- a collection of wild animals kept for people to see
Discovery challenge
-
Which river flows past the Tower of London?
On which river does the Tower of London stand?
Which river once fed the Tower's moat?
- The Thames
- The Seine
- The Nile
Show the answer
The Thames
The Thames! It flows through London.
The River Thames, on whose north bank the Tower stands.
The Thames, which fed the moat until it was drained in 1843.
-
Who started building the Tower of London?
Which king began building the Tower after 1066?
Who began fortifications on the site after his coronation at Christmas 1066?
- William the Conqueror
- Henry VIII
- Queen Victoria
Show the answer
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror! He became king in 1066.
William the Conqueror, also called William I.
William I, whose White Tower was begun about 1078.
-
What precious things are kept in the Tower today?
Which famous royal treasures have been kept at the Tower since 1661?
What working collection of 23,578 gemstones is displayed in the Jewel House?
- The Crown Jewels
- The Rosetta Stone
- The Magna Carta
Show the answer
The Crown Jewels
The Crown Jewels! Crowns full of sparkling gems.
The Crown Jewels, some of which are still used in royal ceremonies.
The Crown Jewels, used most recently at the 2023 coronation.
-
What did the Tower have from the 1200s until 1834?
What was kept at the Tower from the 1200s until 1834?
What did the Lion Tower house from the 13th century until 1834?
- A royal zoo of wild animals
- A railway station
- A fleet of ships
Show the answer
A royal zoo of wild animals
A royal zoo with wild animals!
The Royal Menagerie, a collection of wild animals, from the 1200s until 1834.
The Royal Menagerie, kept there until 1834.
Nearby places
-
Watch
Landmark
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge crosses the River Thames in London, beside the Tower of London. Built from 1886 to 1894, it has two stone-covered towers joined by high walkways, and a road that splits in the middle and swings up like two giant seesaws to let tall ships pass. It still opens about 850 times a year.
-
Watch
Landmark
London Bridge
London Bridge crosses the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark. Today's bridge, made of concrete, opened in 1973, but bridges have stood here for almost 2,000 years. The stone bridge before it was sold and rebuilt in Arizona, in the United States!
-
Watch
City
London
London, the capital of the United Kingdom, began as a Roman town almost 2,000 years ago. About 8.8 million people lived in Greater London in 2021. It has the Tower of London, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the Tube, an underground railway that opened in 1863.
-
Watch
Landmark
London Eye
The London Eye is a huge observation wheel, 135 meters tall, on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It was built for the year 2000, the new millennium. Its 32 glass capsules carry up to 25 people each, and the wheel turns so slowly that people step on while it moves.
-
Watch
Landmark
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London. The tower, 96 meters tall, was begun in 1843, and its clock started keeping time in 1859. Since 2012 the tower has been called the Elizabeth Tower.
-
Watch
Landmark
British Museum
The British Museum in London was founded in 1753 and opened in 1759. It holds treasures from all over the world, like the Rosetta Stone, which helped people learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Its grand building with columns was built from 1823 to 1847, and in 2025 it had more than 6.4 million visits.
-
Watch
Landmark
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace began as a big house built for the Duke of Buckingham. King George III bought it in 1761, and King George IV had the architect John Nash turn it into a palace. Since 1837 it has been the London home of Britain's kings and queens. It has 775 rooms.
-
Watch
Landmark
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle stands above the River Thames, west of London. William the Conqueror built the first castle here in the 1070s, and kings and queens have lived in it ever since. It is still a working royal home, and visitors can tour its grand rooms and chapel.
Explore next
-
Watch
Country
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, or UK, lies on islands off the northwest coast of Europe. It is made up of four parts, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and about 69.5 million people live there. Its capital is London.
-
Watch
City
London
London, the capital of the United Kingdom, began as a Roman town almost 2,000 years ago. About 8.8 million people lived in Greater London in 2021. It has the Tower of London, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the Tube, an underground railway that opened in 1863.
-
Watch
Landmark
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace began as a big house built for the Duke of Buckingham. King George III bought it in 1761, and King George IV had the architect John Nash turn it into a palace. Since 1837 it has been the London home of Britain's kings and queens. It has 775 rooms.
-
Watch
Landmark
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London. The tower, 96 meters tall, was begun in 1843, and its clock started keeping time in 1859. Since 2012 the tower has been called the Elizabeth Tower.
-
Watch
Landmark
British Museum
The British Museum in London was founded in 1753 and opened in 1759. It holds treasures from all over the world, like the Rosetta Stone, which helped people learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Its grand building with columns was built from 1823 to 1847, and in 2025 it had more than 6.4 million visits.
-
Watch
Landmark
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow. It began as a wooden fort on a hill by the Moskva River. Its present walls and towers were built from 1485 to 1516. Inside stand golden-domed cathedrals, palaces, a tall bell tower and museums.
- Watch Geography What is a World Heritage Site? World Heritage Sites are places so important that they belong, in a way, to everyone. Under a 1972 agreement, countries nominate their most outstanding places, experts check them, and a UNESCO committee decides. By 2026 the list held 1,273 sites: cultural places like the Taj Mahal, natural places like the Galápagos, and mixed ones like Machu Picchu.
-
Watch
Landmark
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge crosses the River Thames in London, beside the Tower of London. Built from 1886 to 1894, it has two stone-covered towers joined by high walkways, and a road that splits in the middle and swings up like two giant seesaws to let tall ships pass. It still opens about 850 times a year.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate the Tower of London on the Thames and explain who began it and why.
- Describe the parts of a concentric castle: keep, walls, towers and moat.
- List the many jobs the Tower has had, from palace and prison to zoo and jewel house.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- William the Conqueror built the Tower to show his power. How can a building send a message?
- The Tower has been a palace, a prison, a zoo and a museum. Why do old buildings change their jobs?
- Tall new buildings now stand near the Tower. How should cities protect the view of old landmarks?
Try at home or in class
- Build a concentric castle from blocks or cardboard: a central keep, an inner wall with towers, an outer wall and a 'moat' of blue paper.
- Draw a map of the Tower with its two rings of walls, label the White Tower and Traitors' Gate, and plan a visitor route.
Key vocabulary: castle, keep, moat, battlements, Crown Jewels, menagerie
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Tower of London , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Tower of London , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Crown Jewels , Historic Royal Palaces
- Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London , Historic Royal Palaces
- Visits made in 2025 to visitor attractions in membership with ALVA , Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.