![]() He was shot by a firing squad on August 15, 1941. Josef Jakobs, a German spy, was the last person to be killed on the property. It wasn’t as deadly as it soundsĭespite all the infamous tales of torture, only 22 people were actually executed inside the Tower’s walls. Evidence of his occult practices can still be seen today in the Salt Tower, where Draper left a cryptic astrological sphere, labeled with the twelve zodiac signs, inscribed on the stone wall of his cell. This being the 1500s, authorities incarcerated Draper for the gravest offense: sorcery. One of the tower’s more unusual inmates was an innkeeper from Bristol named Hew Draper. Supposedly, the poor creature hunted fish in the River Thames. ![]() Founded by King John as a royal menagerie in 1210, the gallery’s various residents included lions, ostrich, elephants, and even a polar bear. Animals once called the Tower homeīefore the Tower was a prison, it was a zoo for exotic animals. Among the most prized items is the Star of Africa, a single diamond worth $400 million, and the Imperial Crown, which sits protected in a bullet-proof glass case, and is embedded with exactly 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. The dazzling Crown Jewels-a priceless collection of historic ceremonial objects-have been on display since the 17th century. It protects $32 billion worth of treasure The Tower of London doubled as the Mintįor 500 years, beginning in 1279, the Tower of London guarded the country’s Mint. For more surprising facts and well-kept secrets, read on. Royal treasure isn’t the only thing hidden inside the Tower of London. Today, visitors to London flock here in droves to see the Crown Jewels, and the display of antique suits of armor (like Charles I’s gilt, gold leaf-armor) at the Line of Kings: the world’s longest-running visitor attraction, which dates back to 1688. Only 22 total executions took place at the Tower of London, but the citadel’s dark and bloody reputation precedes the historic site. Skeletons found beneath a staircase in the tower in the 1600’s are thought to be those of the two young royals. Even the Duke of Gloucester, best known as Richard III, is said to have held captive and murdered his nephews, 12-year-old Prince Edward and his younger brother, 9-year-old Richard. While the residence functioned as a state prison, it was also where Henry VIII imprisoned two of his six wives (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) and where conspirator Guy Fawkes was tortured and executed. An additional wall and series of towers rose up around the complex, making it virtually impenetrable by 1350.ĭuring the Tudor Dynasty, the Tower of London gained its notorious reputation as a torture chamber. In the centuries that followed, a stone wall was erected around the gleaming Caen stone residence, and later a moat. ![]() Originally designed as a castle for William the Conqueror in 1078, it’s hardly a cozy palace like Buckingham or Kensington. This story originally appeared on Travel + Leisure.įor almost 1,000 years, the Tower of London has been an intimidating fortress on the River Thames. ![]()
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