The Tower of London was anciently a palace occupied by the various
sovereigns of England, till the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was begun
by William the Conqueror in 1073; and additions were made to it by
several of the later monarchs. The extent within the walls is over
twelve acres; and the exterior circuit of the ditch that surrounds it is
over three thousand feet. A broad and handsome wharf, or gravel terrace,
runs along the banks of the river parallel with the Tower, from which it
is separated by the ditch.
Within the walls of the Tower are several streets; and a variety of
buildings, the principal of which are, the church, the white tower, the
ordnance office, the record office, the jewel office, the horse armory,
the grand storehouse, the small armory, the houses belonging to the
officers of the tower, barracks for the garrison, &c.
The white tower, which was the original building, is a large square
structure, situated in the center of the fortress. On the top are four
watch-towers, one of which, at present, is used as an observatory. It
consists within of three lofty stories, beneath which are large,
commodious vaults. In the first story are two grand rooms, one of which
is a small armory for the sea-service, and contains various sorts of
arms, curiously laid up, which would serve upward of ten thousand
seamen. In the other rooms, in closets and presses, are abundance of
warlike tools and instruments of death. In the upper stories, are arms
and armorers’ tools. The models of all newly invented engines of
destruction, which have been presented to the government, are preserved
in this tower. On the top is a large cistern, filled from the Thames by
a water-engine, to supply the garrison with water. The grand storehouse,
which stands north of the white tower, is a plain building of brick and
stone, three hundred and forty-five feet long and sixty feet broad. The
jewel office is a little to the east of the grand storehouse. It is a
dark and strong stone room. The horse armory is a brick building
eastward of the white tower. The record office is in the Wakefield
tower, opposite the platform. The rolls from the time of King John to
the beginning of the reign of Richard III., are kept here in fifty-six
wainscot presses. They contain the ancient tenures of land in England,
the original laws and statutes, the rights of England to the dominion of
the British seas, the forms of submission of the Scottish kings, and a
variety of other records, &c. The principal entrance to the Tower is on
the west. It consists of two gates on the outside of the ditch; a stone
bridge built over the ditch, and a gate within the ditch. On the right
hand, at the west entrance, the menagerie was formerly kept; but having
been superseded by that belonging to the Zoölogical Society in the
Regent’s park, it was broken up a few years ago. What was called the
Spanish armory, contains the trophies of the famous victory of Queen
Elizabeth over the Spanish armada. Among these the most remarkable are
the thumb-screws, intended to be used to extort confession from the
English where their money was hidden. In the same room are other
curiosities; among which is the ax with which the unfortunate Anne
Boleyn was beheaded, to gratify the capricious passions of her husband,
Henry VIII. A representation of Queen Elizabeth in armor, standing by a
cream-colored horse, attended by a page, is also shown in this room. Her
majesty is dressed in the armor she wore at the time she addressed her
army in the camp of Tilbury, 1588, with a white silk petticoat,
ornamented with pearls and spangles.
The small armory is one of the finest rooms of its kind in Europe. It is
three hundred and forty-five feet in length, and in general it contains
complete stands of arms for no less than one hundred thousand men. They
are disposed in a variety of figures, in a very elegant manner. Among
them is a piece of ordnance from Egypt, sixteen feet long, and seven
inches and a half bore. There are several other curiosities, among which
are arms taken at various periods from rebels; the Highland broad-sword
deserves particular notice. In many respects this room may be considered
as one of the wonders of the modern world. The volunteer armory is in
the white tower, and contains arms, piled in beautiful order, for thirty
thousand men, with pikes, swords, &c., in immense numbers, arranged in
stars and other devices. At the entrance of this room stands a fine
figure of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk in the time of Henry VIII.,
in bright armor, and having the very lance he used in his lifetime,
which is eighteen feet long. The sea armory is also in this tower, and
contains arms for nearly fifty thousand sailors and marines. In this
room are two elegant pieces of brass cannon, presented by the city of
London to the Earl of Leicester, and various similar curiosities. Part
of the royal train of artillery is kept on the ground-floor, under the
small armory. The room is three hundred and eighty feet long, fifty feet
wide, and twenty-four in hight. The artillery is ranged on each side, a
passage ten feet in breadth being left in the center. In this room are
twenty pillars that support the small armory above, which are hung round
with implements of war, and trophies taken from the enemy. There are
many peculiarly fine pieces of cannon to be seen here: one (of brass) is
said to have cost two hundred pounds in ornamenting. It was made for
Prince Henry, eldest son of James I. Others are extremely curious for
their antiquity. Among them is one of the first invented cannon. It is
formed of bars of iron hammered together, and bound with iron hoops. It
has no carriage, but was moved by six rings, conveniently placed for
that purpose. The horse armory is a noble room, crowded with
curiosities. The armor of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and son of
Edward III., is seven feet in hight. The sword and lance are of a
proportionable size. A complete suit of armor, rough from the hammer,
made for Henry VIII. when eighteen years old, is six feet high. The
kings of England on horseback, are shown in armor, from the Conqueror to
George II.
The jewel office contains: 1. _The imperial crown_, with which the kings
of England are crowned. It is of gold, enriched with diamonds, rubies,
emeralds, sapphires and pearls; within is a cap of purple velvet, lined
with white taffeta, and turned up with three rows of ermine. This is
never used but at coronations, and of course is not often produced. 2.
_The golden globe._ This is put into the king’s right-hand before he is
crowned; and when he is crowned, he bears it in his left-hand, having
the scepter in his right. 3. _The golden scepter_ and its cross, upon a
large amethyst, decorated with table diamonds. 4. _The ancient scepter_,
covered with jewels and Gothic enamel work, and surmounted with an onyx
dove. This scepter is believed to be far the most ancient in the
collection, and probably is a part of the original regalia. It was found
by the keeper in 1814, exactly at the time of the general peace. It is
estimated at a very high value. 5. _St. Edward’s staff._ It is four feet
seven inches and a half long, and three inches and three-quarters round,
made of beaten gold. It is borne before the king in the coronation
procession. 6. _The gold salt-cellar of state._ In make it is the model
of the square white tower, and is of excellent workmanship. At the
coronation it is placed on the king’s table. 7. _The sword of mercy._ It
has no point. 8. _A grand silver font_, used for christenings of the
royal family. 9. _The crown of state_, which is worn by the sovereign at
the meeting of parliament, and other state occasions. It is of extreme
splendor and value, being covered with large-sized precious stones, and
on the top of its cross is a pearl which Charles I. pledged to the Dutch
republic for eighteen thousand pounds. Under the cross is an emerald
diamond of a pale green color, seven inches and a half in circumference,
and valued at one hundred thousand pounds; and in the front is a rock
ruby, unpolished, in its purely natural state, three inches long, and
the value of which can not be estimated. 10. _The golden eagle_, with
which the king is anointed, and the _golden spur_. 11. _The diadem_,
worn by the Queens Anne and Mary. 12. _The crown_ of Queen Mary, _the
cross_ of King William, and many other valuable jewels. In this office
are all the crown jewels worn by the princes and princesses at
coronations, and abundance of curious old plate. Independently of
several of the jewels which are inestimable, the value of the precious
stones and plate contained in this office, is not less than two millions
sterling. The chapel, situated at the north end of the parade, is not
otherwise attractive, than as it contains a few ancient tombs and
monuments.