• The Oyster Shed January 20, 2012
    The Oyster Shed opens in the City of London, serving seafood and British dishes, local ales and light bites […]
  • Burns Night Dinners January 20, 2012
    Celebrate Burns Night 2012 with a meal in London, from Scottish tasting menus to traditional Burns Night suppers […]
  • Aubaine Opens in Mayfair January 20, 2012
    French bistro Aubaine has opened a new branch on Dover Street in Mayfair […]
  • Café Le Cordon Bleu January 20, 2012
    Top cookery school Le Cordon Bleu opens its first café in London, near the British Museum in Bloomsbury Square […]
  • Chinese New Year Menus January 20, 2012
    Celebrate Chinese New Year 2012 and welcome in the Year of the Dragon with a meal at a London restaurant […]

Beautiful London

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"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

-Samuel Johnson, 1777

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The Tower of London

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Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It is the oldest building used by the British government.

The Tower of London is often identified with the White Tower, the original stark square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.

The tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase “sent to the Tower” (meaning “imprisoned”). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

See the Tower of London on our London Highlights tour

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