Authors

Historical Jaunt #3

May 27, 2023
Terry Tyler


Part 1: Hever Castle HERE

Part 2: Hever Church and Penshurst Place HERE


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– The Tower of London –

Traitors’ Gate.  
Imagine coming through here on a barge, knowing what your fate might be….

Entrance to the Bloody Tower, most famously the supposed last home of 12 year old Edward V and his brother Richard, before they disappeared.


‘One day, Anne, man will travel by air, up in the sky, rather than 
by horse, wagon and boat’

The whole place was jam-packed all day, to the extent that it was impossible, much of the time, to get a photograph without someone walking by looking at their phone in the middle of it.  Apparently there were no less than 1000 school parties booked for the day.  Tried to get this doorway three times and then gave up, not least of all because I was aware of holding up the people behind me as I did so.  I would like to use this as the excuse for why all my Tower pictures are particularly crappy.

‘Yeah, it’s nice, but she was beheaded with a sword, not an axe.’
‘Really?  D’you want me to do it all again?’
‘Nah, leave it.  Nobody will notice.’

Anne is buried in the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula, below – alas, it was closed for some reason or other on this day, so we were unable to go and see her tomb.  I wonder what she would have thought had she been told that on the anniversary of her death, nearly 600 years later, people would travel to see where she was buried.

Beauchamp Tower, built around 1281, where many were imprisoned

Much prisoner graffiti exists within; some unknown person carved Anne’s falcon into the wall.  It’s all protected by glass, so hard to take a picture of.

Random doors that meant something when I took them, but now I can’t remember what.  The one below is a corridor in the Martin Tower where prisoners went to pray (I think).

Re-creation of Edward I’s bedroom


Where he prayed, presumably for forgiveness for hammering so many Scots.

I’m usually something of a sucker for gift shops and bought WAY too much stuff in the one at Hever Castle, but at the Tower it was 95% overpriced tat, such as boxes of fudge with a picture of Traitors’ Gate on for 15 quid, and executioner dress-up outfits for the kiddies.  High spot was this jolly mirror thing that you could stand in front of, and a crown would appear on your head!!!  At least it was free.

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