The Tower of London’s birds
Never have a small group of birds played such an important part in one of the greatest empires of history. If legend is to be believed, the ravens of the Tower of London have been the protectors of the British throne and all the countries ruled by it over the centuries. Many an English king and queen have believed that if the ravens were ever to disappear from the tower, the empire would crumble.
Superstition has protected the birds and, since the monarchs no longer call the Tower of London home, the lineage of the ravens perhaps makes them the family to live longest here. These days there are just seven of them. This number is attributed to King Charles II who, in the 1600s, ordered there be just six ravens kept at the tower because more than that was too annoying (the seventh is kept these days as a reserve).
Much like the royal family, the power of the ravens is symbolic and historical. They are also waited on hand and foot (or wing and claw) and need only behave themselves to fulfil their duties. The true and hardworking keepers of the Tower of London are the Yeoman Warders.
The Yeoman warders
Steve, a warder for only the past couple of years, is addressing a group of tourists.
“Within these walls is mystery, intrigue, incest and…” he pauses for dramatic effect before turning to a child and shouting, “…murder!”
The tales he tells are chilling – of a time when queens were executed, prisoners were tied to the rack, and traitors had their heads carried through the streets of the city. In years gone by, the Tower of London was a fortress of fear. The Yeoman Warders were hated by the population, taunted with the name ‘Beefeaters’ because they were well-fed within the stone walls of the monarchy while the average citizen starved on the plague-ridden streets.
Today, the wearers of the scarlet robes and the Tudor bonnet are as much a tourist attraction as the Crown Jewels which they protect. There are 36 of them in the castle and all have been chosen from the military (they must have had at least 22 years of service). They live in accommodations in the castle with their families.
Life in the Tower
Steve’s sleeve rides up his arm slightly at one point and an aged greenish tattoo is revealed – a mark of his military past. His stories also expose his time in the armed forces, with a sly grin appearing on his face every time he sneaks a slightly naughty joke into the history lessons. You can tell things have changed now, though, and he beams as he proudly tells the tour group that his daughter will one day be able to get married in the chapel on the ground because of his position. “So that’ll be a happy day in fifty years time… am I right, dads?”
The Tower of London may have been built for the royal family but it seems these days there’s a new family inhabiting the ancient citadel. The warders, their wives and their children live here with the doctor, the cooks, and the other staff. Their ravens are looked after and loved like family pets. And there’s an unconcealed pleasure in showing their home and its history to the thousands of visitors who pass over the drawbridge every day.
This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here.
You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve visited here.
* You can also go to the official Tower of London site here.
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Turtle, like the name suggests, likes to take things slowly. Luckily that's one of the best ways to see the world - and that's exactly what he's doing at the moment.
This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.
16 Responses
We have been up in Edinburgh for over a year now and we really need to get down and visit the Tower of London next time we are there!
Cole @ Four Jandals recently posted..How to smoke weed in Amsterdam
I remember going as a kid and really enjoying it. But even as an adult it was a fantastic place to visit!
Great story…I didn’t know any of that about the Tower….
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Travel Bucket List – Top 10 Hotels
I love going somewhere that is so well-known and then finding out stuff that I had never heard before. It just shows the whole point of travel – even in cities you’ve been to plenty of times!
This is some cool insight into a part of the Tower that people don’t really think about. I went a long time ago and don’t remember learning this stuff!
Rachel recently posted..Delicious Inspiration for Today
There are so many stories about the Tower, I guess you can get something new out of it every time you go.
Great stuff, Michael! I normally avoid posts about London like the plague (been there, done that), but I had a feeling you’d come with a different approach. Loved learning more about the history…
Bret @ Green Global Travel recently posted..GLOBAL CUISINE: Frozen Pisco Sour (Peru)
I hope your comment about the plague was an intentional pun…
I’ve been meaning to take a guided tour of Tower. Such a fascinating, gruesome history. Great post.
Sophie recently posted..I want to ‘Go with Oh’ to Vienna
I think it’s one of those places you can only truly appreciate with a tour. The great thing is that they’re free and the Yeoman Warders all seem to be really interesting characters!
Really interesting background that I hadn’t heard before and well told. Love your pics too
Wanderplex recently posted..How far will my money take me?
I went there as a kid but probably didn’t pay too much attention to the stories. It was much more interesting this time (although probably not as fun).
We have so many great places to visit, long history and culture of our own and most of us fail to realise or take it for granted.
I think everyone’s a bit guilty of not exploring their own backyard enough. I know I certainly haven’t done enough of Australia, for instance. But there’s a bit more history (and a lot less travelling) in Britain!
Those old fortresses are fascinating to visit, with a skilled guide you can learn many things about a country by visiting the old jails.
I think this is the case whit the Tower of London, somewhat similar to Kilmainham Gaol in Ireland or Terezin in the Czech Republic.
Zubi Travel recently posted..Vung Tau, weekend destination in Vietnam
I haven’t been to either Kilmainham Gaol or Terezin but, on your recommendation, would love to check them out. They’re going on the list!