I imagine that the sky didn't look much different back in May of 1536 when Anne Boleyn was "sent to the tower" to be executed. Unfortunately for Anne she was unable to bear a son for her husband King Henry VIII, and as punishment she was killed in her very on castle The Tower of London. However, she wasn't the only one to lose her life at this chilling prison. Hundreds upon hundreds of "enemies to the throne" have been murdered here including another of King Henry VIII's six wives Catherine Howard.
Although the last execution at the tower took place in August 1941, the fortress still has the makings of a horror movie. Again the weather is dreary and the floors creak over the empty space where bones once laid. You can see the marks of prisoners etched into the stones as well as black ravens guarding the walls alongside the beefeaters. To make matters worse, legend has it that the ghost of Anne Boleyn along with that of Lady Jane Grey and the princes of the tower roam around the castle (waiting to scare innocent tourists like me). One may even watch a reenactment of the executions of these infamous victims and pray that they really are just reenactments.
Thankfully I managed to make it out of this haunting tower alive and unscathed only to have nightmares for the rest of my life. (This is maybe the reason why I have been wide awake since 4am) Nevertheless I live to tell of another day and speaking of the day, we are headed over to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, an Anglican church where we will find several medieval bronze plates. Once there we will attempt to get in touch with our inner child and play with crayons all day! Actually we will be making rubbings of the bronze plates while learning about the ancient crypts. (But this still involves being creative! One of my favorite things to do)
Cheerio, for now!
More from the tower:
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| The White Tower of the Tower of London |
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| King Henry III kept elephants as well as other exotic animals |
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| Prisoner's graffiti at the Beauchamp Tower |
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| View of Tower Bridge from inside the Tower of London |
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