The Tower of London is an ancient fortress located in London, England. The Tower is located east of the city of London and on the north bank of the Thames River. The Tower covers about 13 acres. The Tower was used as a royal residence in the middle ages. Later, it was used as a prison however, today its main purpose is to serve as a museum. A moat, now dry, surrounds the tower. The tower was built around 1078. For more information on the London Tower’ s history click on our history link.

Many famous people were imprisoned in the London Tower. The Traitor’ s gate is the water way entrance for prisoners coming to the tower from Westminister. Other buildings, such as the Bloody Tower, are associated with prisoners such as Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey the second earl of Essex, Sir Walter Raleigh and the duke of Monmouth along with others.

For more information about the prisoners of the Tower, refer to our prisoner link. For more information about the towers and grounds click on our Towers and Grounds link. The London Tower also holds the Crown Jewels. The crown jewels are an assortment of scepters, crowns and other royal treasures. For more information on the Crown Jewels refer to the Crown Jewels link below.