~ Castles are such a common sight in England but have you ever wondered what a castle actually is? ~ Who built the first castle? ~ We are going to explore castle life and famous castles ~ Lets explore knights in shining armour and tales of princess castles ~ All pages suitable for castle lessonplans, unit studies and general learning about english castles and foreign equivalents
English Castle Explorers
English Castle Explorer Scroll
Tower of London
Castle Location
London, England
Our Castle Rating
4 shields out of 5
Castle First Impressions
english castles tower of london
Beautiful impressive structure along the banks of the river Thames.
The Tower of London is overseen by the majestic London Bridge.
Castle History:
The Tower of London was first built in 1078 by William the Conqueror.
The Crown Jewels are housed in the tower.
During the Towers history it has been a palace, prison, treasury, zoo and arsenal
The " Bloody" Tower known by this chilling name since at least the 17th century, the Bloody Tower was where some of the Tower's most famous prisoners were housed. english castle tower of london
The 12-year-old King Edward V and his younger brother Richard, sons of Edward IV, were perhaps the Tower's most famous and tragic prisoners.
A Video Tour of the Tower of London
Castle Insider Tips
Photo opportunities with a Beefeater or one of the Queens mounted police officers who regularly patrol the grounds of english castle tower of london
Look out for the gorgeous golden royal seal art work on the front gate. english castles tower of london
Castle Must Sees - What we liked best
Crown Jewels Armoury Collection Traitors Gate tower of london tower bridge little princes beefeaters yeoman guard english castles tower of london
Castle Horror - What we did not like
On weekends and British bank holidays be aware of long long queues
Castle Characters:
The Beefeaters- or Yeoman Guard - are the historic guardians of the Tower of London, and have splendid tudor uniforms. picture of beefeater at english castles tower of london View Larger Image
The little princes - victims of a dastardly crime.
The Ravens - if they ever leave the Tower of London the White Tower will crumble and a great disaster shall befall England...
The Tower is closed 24-26 December and 1 January (inclusive). All internal buildings close 30 minutes after the last admission. The Tower closes one hour after the last admission.
Castle Entry Costs There are lots of different entry prices and if you are visiting more than one attraction in the area it would be worth phoning the information line to find out if there are any concessions Alternatively check the website where it is possible to prebook tickets. Details at the bottom of the scroll.
Photography You are free to take photographs within most of the Tower of London but photography and filming is not permitted inside the Jewel House, White Tower or in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula.
Castle Facilities: There is a cafe, a fabulous gift shop - which has a real chainmail suit for sale, and fabulous armor for kids, from knights shields and swords to princess outfits.
You will need to allow 2 - 3 hours for your visit to the Tower of London.
Castle KIds:
Check out the gift shop before you go in, they have a fab kids guide with lots of activities. The shop is full of everything an English castle explorers heart could desire!
Nearby Attractions
Penny Crayons visits the Tower of London
Tower Bridge
St Catherine's Wharf - a wonderful little shipping dock with yachts, and even ancient pirate boats to view
There is a lovely River Thames Board Walk which has lots of hidden alleyways and even passes some secret cannons.
Tower of London
