The Tower of London (a) - (e)

The Tower of London (a) - (e)

1. (A) Why is the site where it is?

   • Why London?
     • Major city - lots of people.
       • Needs protection
       • Danger to William
     • Link to the coast
       • Access to Normandy
     • To show the importance of London to William
       • William made it the capital city
   • Why there in London?
     • Next to river Thames
       • Transport
       • protect/oversee trade coming into city
       • River = natural defence
       • Protect against foreign invasion e.g. Vikings
     • Existing Roman Walls
       • Quicker and cheaper
     • Marshland to East - natural defence

2. (b) When and why people first created the site

   • Why?
     • Protect from foreign invasion especially Vikings.
     • Assert dominance over the English
       • Foreign king- unpopular. Seen as having stolen the throne
       • Control his new capital city
       • Prevent rebellions e.g. Exeter 1069
     • Status symbol
       • project the power of William/the Normans
       • Show Norman's wealth and ability
   • When?
     • begun in 1070s
     • Shortly after victory at Hastings/defeat of Saxon rebellions
     • Fairly soon after Wlliam had been crowned.

3. (C) ways the site has changed over time (turning points)

   • Limited change given that site is 1000 years old.
   • Most signif feature (White Tower) is basically unchanged
   • Early alterations e.g. Henry III and Edward I still exist
     • Henry III
       • Inner curtain wall and 9 Towers e.g Salt Tower & Lanthorn Tower
     • Edward I
       • Continued his father's improvements
       • Outer curtain wall,
       • Gatehouses
         • Watergate - St Thomas Tower
         • Main entrance - Middle and Byward Tower
     • Henry III & Edward I
       • Created Medieval Palace
         • Wakefield and St Thomas' Tower
   • Tudors/Early Modern (1500-1750)
     • Became a prison/place of execution
       • Execution of Anne Boleyn 1536
     • Royals no longer lived there - Tudors lived in Palaces e.g. Hen VII - Hampton Court
   • Industrial (1750-1900)
     • Medievalisation
     • Barracks
   • See (G)

4. (D) Different uses of the site

   • 1. Medieval/Norman 1070-1500
     • Military fortress - defence
       • Especially Normans - secure country against rebellion - see (a)
     • Home - place for royalty
       • Medieval palace - St Thomas' and Wakefield Towers
     • Status symbol
     • Intimidate/ oppress population
     • Zoo e.g. Lions from 1210
   • 2. Early Modern 1500-1750
     • Prison/place of execution
     • Not used for royalty to live in - safer times
       • e.g. monarchy secure - end of Wars of Roses 1485
       • Henry VIII moves to Hampton Court Palace
   • 3. Industrial 1750-1900
     • Tourism
       • Anthony Salvin - Medievalisation
         • e.g. Lanthorn Tower, refacing curtain wall
     • Barracks/military site
       • Store ordinance (guns)
         • E.g. Waterloo Battery - guns captured from Napoleon.
       • Wellington - builds Waterloo Barracks
         • Could house up to 1000 soldiers
       • Wellington closes zoo 1835
         • Hates tourists
         • Animals sent to London Zoo
       • Moat drained
         • No longer relevant defence
         • Prevent disease from stagnant water
   • 4. 1900-present
     • Tourism
       • 3 million visitors in 2018
     • Education
       • School visits
         • cheap entry
       • Reenactments
       • Information boards
     • Conservation
       • Made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988
       • E.g. Medieval Wall painting in Byward tower - closed to public to protect
     • temporary use as military site in WWI & WWII
       • WWI: 11 German spies shot
         • Carl Lody
       • Barracks and for training

5. (E) Diversity of people and activities associated with the site

   • 1. Medieval
     • Simon of Sudbury
       • Archbishop of Canturbury in 1381 (time of Peasants' Revolt)
       • Responsible for poll tax
         • led to the Peasants' Revolt
           • 80,000 peasants revolt
       • Peasants attack the Tower - let in.
         • Find Sudbury - drag out and behead. Head on spike
     • Ranulf Flambard
       • 1st prisoner and 1st escapee
       • smuggled in rope in flagon of wine. Got guards drunk escaped out of window.
   • 2. Early Modern
     • Anne Boleyn - Hen VIII's 2nd wife
       • Both coronation (1533) and beheading (1536) took place in Tower
         • Beheaded on Tower Green
           • French swordsman - executioner
       • Henry had 'Queen's Apartments' built for her
         • Imprisoned in them before her execution
     • Guy Fawkes
       • Interrogated and tortured in the Tower
       • 1605 Gunpower plot
         • Blow up parliament & James I - make life better for Catholics
   • 3. Industrial
     • Duke of Wellington
       • War hero - defeated Napoleon at Waterloo 1815
       • Constable of the Tower for 26 yrs 1826-52
       • Updated tower as military site
         • Built Waterloo Barracks
           • After Grand Storehouse burnt down in 1841
           • House 1000 soldiers
         • Drained moat
           • No longer relevant. Stop disease spreading
         • Hated tourists - got rid of Zoo 1835
     • Anthony Salvin
       • Architect
         • Gothic Revivalist
       • Carried out medievalisation of Tower
         • Victorian conservation - rebuild in original medieval style
         • e.g. Rebuilt Lanthorn Tower, refaced the curtain wall. Rebuilt the bridge that connects Wakefield and St Thomas' tower.
         • Appeal to tourists
           • 500,000 by 1900
   • 4. Modern
     • Kray Twins
       • London Gangsters - from East End
         • Notoriously violent
         • Feared and loved
           • Working class heros
       • Arrested and held in Tower for not tuening up for national service 1952
         • Last prisoners of the Tower
       • Different from other key people - working class
         • Diversity
     • Josef Jakobs
       • German Spy in WWII
       • Last person executed in the Tower -1941
   • Activities
     • Prison
     • Fortress
     • Zoo
     • Royal Mint
     • Store Crown Jewels
     • barracks
     • Royal Palace
     • Grow Veg - WWII
     • Conservation
       • Change in attitude
         • Victorian - medievalisation - rebuild to make it look like the original
           • Romanticised view of Tower
         • Modern: Protect what is there
           • Build anything new in modern style - clear division between new and old
     • Tourism