I saw the Tower of London. William the Conqueror built the tower. The tower was built around 1078. The Tower of London is actually 21 towers not just one tower. The tower has been used for different stuff like an armory, a prison, torture chambers and a zoo. It must have had a lot of junk in there. The Tower now has the Crown Jewels. We saw the Crown Jewels. It was cool.
Tower of London
Medieval siege weapon to hold the flame as it is thrown
Tower of London with Tower Bridge
One of the towers is a zoo or used to be. Wild beasts were Kings and Queen’s favorite gifts. One of the Kings got a pet polar bear. One of the Servants would put the polar bear on a leash and the bear would go swimming in the Thames River and would catch the fish. That must have been scary putting the polar bear on his leash.
Polar bear
Did you know this King John started the zoo? At the zoo it had elephants, snakes, lizards, leopards, lions, monkeys, a polar bear, ostriches and ravens. That is a lot of animals. Did you know they thought the ostriches ate iron? So, they feed them iron nails. They died. They also used to wrap snakes in blankets and then put them on the stove to keep them warm. King James I made lions fight other animals. That was probably bloody.
Monkey
Facts about the London Tower
- The Tower of London is actually 21 towers.
- Here is a legend: if Ravens leave the castle the Tower will fall. So they keep ravens there. They clip their wings so they do not fly away.
- At the Tower they have the Kings and Queens Jewels.
- King Henry III had the most animals.
- There was a queen called Bloody Mary.
- One of the Towers is called the White Tower.
- Most of the animals died because they did not get proper care.
Guard at the Tower of London
- The White Tower
Sydney and Tower Bridge
Did you have a favorite part? I’ve been there four times and it’s my favorite place in London. Imagine wearing one of those crowns on your head! I heard that one of them weighed over 4 pounds!
I liked learning about the animals. I think that it would be too heavy 😈
Hey cousin Sydney! I heard there was a dungeon there. Did you get to see it?
Kind of. There were no prison cells. The tower which had cells turned into a zoo. 😥
Nice post, Sydney! We are looking forward to seeing you and your family in Prague soon!
What is Prague like? how old is your son? ❓
Prague is a wonderful city! Right now it is flooded:( I hope it will be dried out by the time you come. My son is eight.
Great post Sydney! I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to the towers. Did you try to get the guard to smile or move?!