For nearly 1,000 years, one building on the north bank of the Thames has been a fortress, a royal palace, a prison, a place of execution, a royal mint, and a zoo. It is still a working fortress today, still guarded by soldiers, and still home to the Crown Jewels currently in use by the monarchy. Few buildings anywhere carry this much continuous history in one place — this guide covers where that history came from, and everything you need to plan a visit around it.

Part One: History

A Fortress Built by a Conqueror

The Tower’s story begins in 1078, roughly a decade after William the Conqueror seized the English crown at Hastings. William needed to hold London — a city he had just conquered and did not trust — and the White Tower was the answer: a stone keep, radical for its time in a country still mostly built in timber, designed to dominate the skyline and remind the city exactly who was now in charge. It remains the oldest part of the complex and gives the whole fortress its name, even though the Tower has since grown into a much larger complex of walls, towers and moats built up over the following centuries by successive monarchs.

Prison, Palace and Place of Execution

For most of its history, the Tower served two purposes at once: a royal residence when the monarch needed a secure base near the city, and a prison when the monarch needed somewhere to put people who threatened the crown. Few stories capture that dual identity better than Anne Boleyn’s. Henry VIII’s second wife was crowned queen at the Tower in 1533 and executed there just three years later, on charges of treason that most historians now regard as engineered rather than proven. She was held, tried, and beheaded within the same walls — a pattern repeated with other prisoners across the centuries, from Sir Thomas More to Lady Jane Grey.

Traitors’ Gate

The most infamous entrance to the Tower sits on the river side of the fortress: a water-gate built under Edward I in the 1270s, originally intended simply as a royal watergate for arriving by boat. Over time it became strongly associated with prisoners being brought in by river to face trial or worse, and the name stuck. Whether every prisoner who is said to have passed through it actually did is disputed by historians, but the gate’s grim reputation was well established by the Tudor period and has stayed attached to it ever since.

The Yeoman Warders

The Tower’s guards — universally known as Beefeaters, officially Yeoman Warders — have guarded the fortress since at least the 15th century. All are retired senior members of the British Armed Forces with a minimum of 22 years’ service, and all live within the Tower walls with their families, making it one of the only places in Britain where people still genuinely live inside a medieval fortress. Their ceremonial uniform is instantly recognisable, but their day job is guiding visitors and running the site’s most popular free tour.

Part Two: Practical Information

The Crown Jewels

The centrepiece of any visit. The Jewel House holds over 23,000 gemstones set into the ceremonial objects still used by the British monarchy today — these aren’t museum replicas, they’re the working regalia, brought out for coronations and state occasions. Give the Jewel House itself 20–40 minutes; it’s the single busiest part of the Tower, and the queue is consistently longest between midday and 3pm. Arriving at opening or after 4pm gives the most comfortable visit.

Ceremony of the Keys

Every night, without exception, for over 700 years, the Chief Yeoman Warder has formally locked the Tower’s main gates in a ceremony that has barely changed since the 1300s. It’s free to attend — but tickets must be booked well in advance through Historic Royal Palaces directly, and dates sell out months ahead. It’s one of the more remarkable things you can do in London that most visitors never know exists.

Visiting the Tower of London

Opening hours: Currently 9:00am–5:30pm daily, with last entry at 4:30pm. Hours can shift seasonally and around events (gun salutes, for example, close parts of the site temporarily) — always check the official Historic Royal Palaces opening times page for your specific visit date before travelling.

Tickets (booked online):

• Adult (18–64): £37.00
• Child (5–15): £18.50
• Under 5: free
• Young Person (16–17): £18.50
• Senior (65+) / Student / Disabled: £29.50
• A voluntary 10% donation is added by default at checkout and can be removed if you prefer to pay the base price.

One ticket covers everything: the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, the Medieval Palace, the battlements, the Bloody Tower, and the included Yeoman Warder tour. Prices and hours are confirmed directly from Historic Royal Palaces at time of writing — verify before booking, as both can change.

How long to allow: At least 2.5–3 hours for a proper visit; four to five hours if you want to see everything without rushing, including the armoury and Medieval Palace.

Managed by: Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity — not English Heritage, a common mix-up (they manage different sites elsewhere in the country).

Getting There

Nearest station: Tower Hill (District and Circle lines), about a 5-minute walk. Fenchurch Street is the nearest National Rail station if arriving by train. Tower Gateway DLR is also within easy walking distance, and river boat services stop close by if you’d rather arrive by water.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Tower of London sits within easy reach of several other Landmarks & Monuments covered on Chronicle Trails, including Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster further along the river, and The Monument, a short walk away. For more on London’s history and landmarks, visit our England hub or browse the full Travel Guides.