The White Tower - Tower of London - London, UK
Posted by: wildwoodke
N 51° 30.497 W 000° 04.596
30U E 702864 N 5710402
The White Tower, in the heart of the Tower of London is part of this historic site that was started in the 1080's by William the Conqueror in Londinium, now London, United Kingdom.
Waymark Code: WMCJ96
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/11/2011
Views: 78
The White Tower which has a significant component of cobblestone in itws walls, gives the entire castle its name. The tower 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 since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose.
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"In the early 1080s, William the Conqueror began to build a massive stone tower at the centre of his London fortress. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.
Through the centuries that followed, successive monarchs added to the fortifications. This short history charts the different stages of its construction and explains its role as fortress, palace and prison.
As a powerbase in peacetime and refuge in times of crisis, the Tower’s fortifications were updated and expanded by medieval kings.
A series of separate building campaigns ensured that by about 1350, the Tower was transformed into the formidable fortress we see today.
These building works started in the reign of Richard the Lionheart (1189-99), who, on gaining the throne, left England almost immediately on crusade.
He left the Tower in the hands of his Chancellor, William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely who doubled the fortress in size with new defences.
They came just in time. In the King’s absence his brother John seized the opportunity to challenge the Chancellor’s authority and mount an attack. He besieged the Tower and its new defences held out, until lack of supplies forced Longchamp to surrender. "
The website for the tower describes the works of many king and monarchs that lead the tower to what it is today.
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