Tower of London

The Tower of London is an 18-acre historic fortress in London founded in 1066 by William the Conqueror that features 23 named towers. Originally built to intimidate medieval Londoners, the historic site has served as a castle, prison, and royal menagerie. Its famous history includes housing a swimming polar bear gifted in 1252, keeping seven resident ravens to protect the kingdom, and the mysterious 1483 disappearance of two young princes.

London Β· from the walk β€œLondon's Big Kid Adventure” Β· audio ~3 min Β· Generated

Tower of London

Tower of London, Tower Hill, London EC3N 4AB

Why does the Tower of London always keep at least seven ravens on its grounds?

Okay, look at This place. Can you see those huge stone walls and towers rising up ahead of you? That's the Tower of London... and it is almost a Thousand years old. But here's the thing... it's not actually One tower. It has Twenty Three named towers in total, plus loads of smaller turrets! The whole thing covers eighteen acres... that's bigger than nine football pitches!......... So who built it? Back in ten sixty six, William the Conqueror invaded England, and one of the first things he did was start building a fortress right here in London. It was designed to intimidate the city... and back in medieval times, the White Tower would have soared over everything around it, like a skyscraper in a village. Imagine seeing That for the first time!......... Now, here's where it gets really wild. This place wasn't just a castle and a prison. It was also a Zoo. And not just any zoo... there were lions walking around the grounds, and get this... a Polar Bear that went fishing in the River Thames! That really happened! In twelve fifty two, King Haakon the Fourth of Norway gave King Henry the Third a polar bear as a gift. But Henry was shocked by how expensive it was to feed, so he had an idea... he had the bear muzzled and chained on a long rope, then let it dive into the Thames to catch its own fish! Medieval Londoners came running to watch. Can you Imagine walking along the river and seeing a polar bear splashing around?......... Now, see if you can spot some big black birds hopping around the grounds. Those are ravens, and they're here for a Very important reason. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the kingdom will fall. Nobody takes chances with that legend. Seven ravens are kept here at all times... six to fulfil the legend, plus one backup, just in case. But some have escaped! A raven called Grog was last spotted outside an East End pub called the Rose and Punchbowl in nineteen eighty one... after living at the Tower for twenty one years, he obviously fancied a change of scene!......... And one more mystery for you. In fourteen eighty three, two young princes... Edward, aged twelve, and Richard, aged nine... were locked inside this very fortress by their uncle. They were never seen again. Then... almost two hundred years later... in sixteen seventy four, workers digging near the White Tower found two small skeletons. Were they the missing princes? To this day, nobody knows for certain. The bones now rest in Westminster Abbey, and the Crown has Never allowed modern Dna testing. It remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in British history.

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