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High School
Shakespeare’s England
The Tower of London
Day 9

I wasn't altogether pleased getting up early today, but the Tower of London was worth the early start.  

The Tower of London is huge and is about 1000 years old. Don't let the name confuse you. It's not just one tower, but many towers that make up this fortress. The oldest part, the White Tower, sits at the center and with the many other buildings added over the years, it is like its own little village.

Now here's the really wild thing: The Tower was once the home to kings and queens, but people actually live at Tower today. They are called the Yeoman Warders. We spoke with one of the newest guards who lives at the Tower with his wife and kids, one of which is a high school aged girl!  If she isn't back by 10pm, she's locked out for the night. The entire place is locked up promptly at 10pm with no way of re-entering until the following day. This certainly gives making curfew a whole new importance. 

We were greeted by Catherine and Chris (not to be confused with our own Christopher) both of whom work at the Tower of London. We were among the first people to enter the Tower once it opened so we were able to look around before the many visitors arrived.

We were particularly interested in the Tower of London during Shakespeare's time. Chris was the perfect person to speak to and took us to see the Bloody Tower. If you are familiar with Shakespeare's play Richard III, you know how the Bloody Tower got its name. It is a particularly gruesome tale that Chris shared with us.

Chris also pointed out Tower Green, where several prisoners were executed. One of the most famous was Anne Boleyn. Many other famous people were imprisoned here, including Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes, who was one of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Today, some say that ghosts of these prisoners roam the Tower, though we did not see anything unusual.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about one of London's most famous tourist destinations. Places like this are fun to visit, but are far cooler when you learn about the stories behind them.

Only slightly terrified by the Tower,

For Extra Credit:
Learn about Shakespeare's King Richard III .

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