The Power of the Tower Part 2 – The Crown Jewels and torture

The Tower of London is known for another thing, it is the location where England’s Crown Jewels are kept and safeguarded. And therein lies a tale. Click here to read the first part of the visit.

The building in which the Crown Jewels of England are kept.

It is an imposing looking building, with a fascinating history, and some diamonds and more. The Tower of London is located on the banks of the Thames, which I went boating on in a previous post.

A Raven stands guard at the Tower of London.

But it takes more than a Raven to guard the tower.

Royal Guards marching to their post.

Now where are these troops marching to?

Ravens have had a home at the Tower for centuries.

No, these Ravens are not the guards. But they patrol the grounds too.

Getting ready to change the guard.

They change the guards on duty around the main tower building regularly. Their precision in step and changing posts is fascinating to watch.

Guards on duty have a place to stand, but they do not have to stand still.

The guns the guards carry appear to be quite real and quite lethal, unlike the ancient cannons posted here.

At times, the guards pace, at times, between the two guard shacks, one of them only at a time. The other maintains a vigilant watch.

Armor for guards and knights from the past on display.

If this was a movie, the old armor would come to life if called upon.

Really cool armor.

Can you imagine having to wear this while fighting or on guard?

Looks quite masculine.

The armor is just as impressive up close, and a man had to be in really great shape to wear it, much less fight while wearing it.

An armored knight and his armored steed.

Well not quite. The steed is a really cool statue. All of this is on one of the floors of this Tower of London building.

Another kind of armored knight and steed.

Really impressive in size up close.

More of the tower’s old defenses.

Lots of older cannons that used to be placed in different eras around the tower, or used in conflicts.

A really cool golden statue.

The lion is a big symbol in England.

The Crown Jewels.

These are just part of the displays of Crown Jewels safeguarded and on display at the Tower of London. This is a borrowed photo as no photos were allowed to be taken inside the vault where the jewels are housed and displayed. And yes, the crown was actually worn by the monarch. In a previous post, I visited Westminster Abbey, where many monarchs were crowned.

The rack.

In the old days, people who tried to steal the jewels, or do other deeds that ran counter to the crown, would be put on this torture device, or worse.

A way to hang people very uncomfortably.

Some criminals or political prisoners could find themselves being hung out on this thing and tortured.

A nasty torture device.

This looks really bad. All the torture devices were on display in the area where they were used. You guessed it, the dungeon of the Tower of London.

Ravens on guard.

Of course, over the centuries, the Ravens have seen a lot of history at the Tower of London.

The head Raven.

This guy was yelling at me to not get to close. But he did pose for this wonderful photo.

The Tower Bridge.

I would visit the Tower Bridge the same day as the Tower of London visit. That’s in the next post.