Salt Tower, The Tower of London
Salt Tower is part of Henry III’s late 1230s curtain wall which rings the castle. Built on the fortress’s south-eastern corner, this tower overlooked the river. Archers could shoot arrows through the arrow-loops in this room.
Upstairs was a comfortable chamber with a huge fireplace and decorative window. The tower’s exterior and windows were restored in 1857-8.
Prisoners at this tower include John Balliol, a Scottish king imprisoned here in 1296 for three years, Hew Draper, an innkeeper from Bristol accused of practising sorcery, and Giovanni Battista Castiglione, an Italian tutor who used to carry Princess Elizabeth's private letters to her when she was imprisoned in the Tower.
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.
Salt Tower, The Tower of London
Salt Tower is part of Henry III’s late 1230s curtain wall which rings the castle. Built on the fortress’s south-eastern corner, this tower overlooked the river. Archers could shoot arrows through the arrow-loops in this room.
Upstairs was a comfortable chamber with a huge fireplace and decorative window. The tower’s exterior and windows were restored in 1857-8.
Prisoners at this tower include John Balliol, a Scottish king imprisoned here in 1296 for three years, Hew Draper, an innkeeper from Bristol accused of practising sorcery, and Giovanni Battista Castiglione, an Italian tutor who used to carry Princess Elizabeth's private letters to her when she was imprisoned in the Tower.
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.