A Guide to Underground London

Tower Hill

Posted in Circle Line, District Line on Apr 8th, 2010

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Tower Hill lies in one of the oldest parts of London. Archaeological evidence indicates settlement in the area as far back as the Bronze Age.

Opened: 1884. The station was originally named Mark Lane station and located further west (it was renamed Tower Hill in 1946). In 1967, it was re-established to the east, on the site of another tube station (‘Tower of London’) which had been in use in the early days of the Underground.

Lines served: Circle, District

The London Wall
One of the largest surviving sections of the wall the Romans built to surround and protect Londinium stands close to the entrance of Tower Hill tube. It was built using Kentish ragstone and in its day was nearly 2 miles in length, up to nine feet thick and about 18 feet high.

In front of the wall stands a statue of a Roman emperor, rescued from a Southampton scrap yard by a vicar. The statue is believed to be an eighteenth century Italian copy, possibly of the emperor Trajan.

All Hallows By the Tower
Also known as All Harlows Barking, this church is said to be the oldest in the City of London. The original Saxon church was founded here in 675AD and an arch from this remains, underneath which lies a Roman pavement.

In 1650, barrels of gunpowder exploded nearby and destroyed the church’s west tower. It was rebuilt and All Hallows managed to survive the Great Fire through the efforts of Admiral William Penn who ordered the destruction of surrounding buildings to create a fire break. Samuel Pepys climbed the church’s tower during the fire to survey the devastation below.

The church was not so lucky during the Blitz and was badly damaged when a bomb hit in 1940. It was restored and rededicated in 1957.

The Tower of London
This perfectly preserved medieval fortress was started shortly after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a temporary watchtower. Over time it evolved into a complex of several buildings surrounded by a thick outer wall and a moat (now dry).

The Tower is most commonly thought of as a prison but has also served as a palace, a mint, a royal armoury, an observatory and even a zoo. It’s also been home to the crown jewels since around 1327. The last man to be beheaded was Lord Lovat in 1747. The last people to be hanged were two prostitutes and a one-armed soldier.

The White Tower and the Bloody Tower
The White Tower (originally whitewashed) is the original Norman tower and stands in the centre of the complex. Of its four turrets, three are square and one is circular (the circular one accommodates a spiral staircase). It now houses displays of armour and special exhibitions.

The Bloody Tower was first called the Garden Tower but renamed in the 16th century due to the dark events that took place within its walls. It was the scene for the murder of two young princes, Edward V and his brother Richard, aged 12 and 10 respectively. In 1483, their uncle, Richard of Gloucester, declared them illegitimate following the death of their father and had them moved to the Tower ‘for their own safety’, leaving the way clear for him to become Richard III.

The boys disappeared mysteriously and in 1674 two little skeletons were found at the foot of The Bloody Tower. Their murder was never solved and their ghosts are thought to still haunt the Tower.

Traitors Gate
Following their trials in the courts of Westminster, unlucky prisoners were taken down river by boat and delivered to the Tower through what came to be known as Traitors Gate.

The Chopping Block and Severance Pay
Many people met their end at the Tower of London. Executions likely to be popular with the public meant that the prisoners were taken out and up onto Tower Hill to be executed in front of an excitable audience. The more unpopular executions, usually young women or nobles, took place on the green within the Tower walls – this is where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey all lost their heads.

When a prisoner was sentenced to death by beheading at the Tower, they were required to pay their executioner to do the deed. On their final day in the world, they would get dressed for death and take a bag of money with them out to the chopping block. If the bag was suitably heavy, a sharp axe was used. If not, it was a blunt one.

The Crown Jewels
The crown jewels are kept in the Jewel House under armed guard. They are priceless but have been on display to the public since the reign of Charles II. A mixture of ceremonial crowns, orbs, swords and other sparkly things, the jewels have always been an integral part of the coronation process.

They were almost stolen in 1671 when Colonel Blood knocked out a guard and stuck a crown under his cloak. Meanwhile one of his associates stuffed an orb down his breeches and another tried to saw a sceptre in half. They almost got away with it but were caught at the last moment. Unbelievably Blood was pardoned and given a pension.

An Unusual Zoo and Those Ravens
The thirteenth century saw the beginnings of a menagerie at the Tower. Henry III was presented with three leopards by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1235. This was later followed by a polar bear from the King of Norway and an elephant from the King of France. Not easy gifts to return. The bear was often seen fishing on the banks of the Thames (chained and muzzled of course).

Further additions to the animals were made and the spectacle was opened to the public. It finally closed in the 1830s and all the animals, except the ravens, were moved to the newly built London Zoo.

Legend goes that at least six ravens must remain at the Tower otherwise the Kingdom will fall. Strange considering their presence is generally thought a bad omen. The ravens at the Tower are nurtured from birth and well cared for by the Ravenmaster (one of the Yeoman wardens). They each have names such as Thor and Baldrick and remain protected by a decree of King Charles II.

The Yeomen (and woman)
The Yeomen Warders, or Beefeaters as they’re known, are the ceremonial guards of the Tower of London. There are 35 of them, 34 men and 1 woman, and they all live in the Tower grounds. Their role is meant to involve guarding prisoners and keeping watch over the crown jewels but they also do a great job as animated tour guides, giving visitors entertaining tours of the Tower grounds.

Nobody really knows where the term ‘Beefeater’ came from but one explanation is that in the past they were paid in rations of meat. They like to joke that these days they’re paid peanuts instead.

The first (and only) female Beefeater, Moira Cameron was appointed in 2007, to the evident displeasure of some of her colleagues. She had served the requisite 22 years in the military and was fully qualified to take on the role. However, in 2009 it emerged that she’d been subjected to a campaign of bullying and harassment by some of the other Beefeaters. Two of them were suspended as a result.

The Tower Subway
Advancements in tunnelling technology and the invention of the ‘tunnelling shield’ by Mark Brunel led to the construction of the Thames Tunnel and the Tower Subway. The Thames Tunnel was built first and runs between Wapping and Rotherhithe. The process took 18 years and was finally completed in 1843, intended for use by horse-drawn carriages. It was a hazardous process and Mark’s son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel almost drowned when the tunnel flooded.

The Tower Subway runs under the Thames from Tower Hill and was the first ‘tube’ tunnel under the river. Passengers were hauled back and forth by cable cars but the service was unpopular and lasted only three months. The subway was converted to a walkway but closed after the construction of Tower Bridge. It now houses power lines.

Tower Bridge
One of London’s most striking landmarks and often mistaken for modest old London Bridge, Tower Bridge spans the Thames close to the Tower and dominates the skyline in all it’s neo-gothic glory. It was completed in 1894 to a design by architect Horace Jones and construction was overseen by engineer John Wolfe-Barry.

It was Wolfe-Barry who came up with the idea for a bascule bridge to deal with the issue of headroom for river traffic. The bridge was built using a steel frame which was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, a technique which came in for criticism at the time. The two towers each stand 213ft high and are connected by walkways.

The walkways were always intended for public use but closed in 1909 after they became a bit too popular with prostitutes, pickpockets and the suicidal. They didn’t reopen until 1982 when the Tower Bridge Exhibition was launched. Visitors can now get up there to enjoy the views and also visit the engine room on the southern end of the bridge.

Jumping the Bascules
The raising of the Tower Bridge bascules is something worth seeing and you can find the scheduled times on the official website.

In 1952, passengers on a No.78 bus got more than they’d bargained for when they found themselves caught on the south bascule as it was starting to rise. A temp watchman was filling in that day and something to do with the signalling to clear the bridge went wrong. Albert Gunton, the driver of the bus, had to make a split-second choice. He sped up and jumped the gap, landing safely on the north bascule which had not yet begun to rise. He was awarded the sum of £10 for his quick thinking.

St. Katherine’s Dock
An unexpected find, just east of the Tower, St. Katherine’s Dock brings a little bit of St. Tropez to London (on a sunny day). Completed in 1828, the dock was constructed on the site of the medieval remains of St. Katherine’s hospital, more than a thousand ‘insanity’ houses and a brewery – all of which were demolished. Over 11,00 people were displaced and huge public protests took place as a result.

St Katherine’s handled valuable cargoes and the warehouses were built close to the dock walls to make the unloading process quicker. Unfortunately it never did too well financially and suffered heavy bombing during the Blitz. It closed in 1968 and was sold. A lease was then granted to construction firm Taylor Woodrow who transformed the area into a luxury marina, along with the huge concrete block that is the four star Tower Thistle Hotel.