Touring the Tower of London

Apr 4, 2017
2 min read

Steeped in over 1000 years of history, this iconic London landmark is one of the capital's must-see attractions...and after visiting today I can see why. There is so much to see and learn about. Did you know that the Tower has been used as a palace and a prison - for royals and WW1 POWs? Or that 6 ravens are kept at the Tower at all times or else as the legend tells it 'the kingdom will fall'? Or even that the Tower used to be used as a Royal Zoo and a Polar Bear used to swim for fish in the Thames? It was incredibly interesting to walk around and learn so much about a building that we had seen hundreds of times before but never visited. By far, the part that captured the kids interest the most, was seeing the Crown Jewels. They looked on in awe at the crowns and priceless gems including The Cullinan Diamond - the largest diamond ever found - cut and set in the Queen's Sceptre and Imperial State Crown and the sheer number of diamonds (12,314 to be precise) that were set in King George IV's crown. Now for the cash factor...! For 1 adult and 2 children, entry would have cost me a purse-weeping £50 (with a long wait at the ticket kiosk too). For the amount to see and experience you get, some would happily pay for this but for an extra £6, you can enjoy a Historical Royal Palaces membership which would give a 1 adult family (up to 6 kids) free and unlimited annual access (with queue jump privileges) to 6 royal palaces including Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace. THAT works out to just £4.66 a month so THAT is more like it for me!