The Tower of London is where the Crown Jewels are housed, which are quite spectacular. It's also where you can stand on the execution site of three English queens!
The Tower of London was home to the kings and queens of England for many years. (Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence of Britain's sovereign since 1837.)
The Tower of London was a prison and many famous prisoners were held there including Sir Walter Ralegh – he was held in the Bloody Tower for 13 years but made use of his time by writing The History of the World (published in 1614) and growing tobacco on Tower Green. The Tower of London held prisoners from the middle and upper classes so there are no dungeons.
Public executions were held on Tower Green, including two of Henry VIII's wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
The Tower Bridge Exhibition is also worth seeing and is only a short walk away. Tower Bridge's architect, Horace Jones, and engineer, John Wolfe Barry, took 8 years to complete the bridge, which opened on 30 June 1894. It remained the only river crossing east of London Bridge till the Dartford Crossing (a tunnel) opened in 1991.
