private tours wales scotland ireland england france private tours wales scotland ireland england france pool holiday sightseeing west country uk private tours wales scotland ireland england france
You may find this information helpful when researching the area
Visitor info
Tower of London - Beefeater -There are 36 Beefeaters - or "Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London", to give them their full name- plus a Yeoman gaoler and a Chief Warder.
The Warders were originally established in 1485 as King Henry VIII's bodyguards and the Beefeater nickname is thought to have stemmed from jealousy at the special privileges they enjoyed: regardless of what the common people were enduring, the wardens always got their daily ration of meat. In 1813, the men on duty were allotted 18lb of mutton, 16lb of veal and 24lb of beef per day between them.
Though their "official" duties are to look after prisoners in the Tower and to guard the Crown Jewels, in reality the Beefeaters act as tour guides. All new Warders have to learn all about the Tower and its history to ensure that they can deal with the myriad questions posed by the 2.5 million visitors who come every year.
Ravens - info --Not the Yeoman Warders [beefeaters], but the ravens, who have resided here for more than three centuries.
No one is quite sure how a contingent of ravens came to be quartered here. According to one version of the story the first were a gift from the antiquarian Earl of Dunraven (a joke, presumably); another theory suggests that they're much more recent, and that the first were Yeoman Warders' pets in the Victorian era. But one thing is for sure: they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Or at least, we'd better hope not . .
Crown Jewels - an event - The Theft of the Crown Jewels
One of the most audacious rogues in history was Colonel Blood, known as the 'Man who stole the Crown Jewels'.
Thomas Blood was an Irishman, born in County Meath in 1618, the son of a prosperous blacksmith. He came from a good family, his grandfather who lived in Kilnaboy Castle was a Member of Parliament.
The English Civil War broke out in 1642 and Blood came to England to fight for Charles I, but when it became apparent that Cromwell was going to win, he promptly changed sides and joined the Roundheads.
When Charles I was defeated in 1653 Blood was made a Justice of the Peace and was granted a large estate, but when Charles II returned to the throne in 1660 Blood fled to Ireland with his wife and son.
In Ireland he joined a plot with the disgruntled Cromwellians and attempted to seize Dublin Castle and take the Governor, Lord Ormonde prisoner. This plot failed and he had to flee to Holland, now with a price on his head. in spite of being one of the most wanted men in England, Blood returned in 1670 taking the name Ayloffe and practised as a doctor in Romford!
Tower Bridge -- is a source of never-ending fascination to visitors. Many who come to the Tower of London often wait a long time to see the roadway raised to allow an ocean-going ship to enter the Pool of London. Although the two bascules which carry the roadway each weigh over 1,000 tons, they can be raised in under two minutes. The Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 by the City of London Corporation to link the southeastern suburbs with the city and eastern London. It cost over a million pounds.
Nearby is Tower Pier, embarkation point for the river launches which take tourists on short trips to places of interest. The river foreshore in front of the Tower of London, which is part of the Tower lands, is used as a pleasure beach by children. They have the late Lord Wakefield to thank for this open air delight. In 1934, when he was Sir Charles Wakefield, he obtained King George V's sanction for the foreshore to be converted to a playground by spreading hundreds of tons of sand on the gravel beach. It was opened that year and has been popular ever since.
