LB2000.52.1047

LB2000.52.1047

Photographs of images of the Tower of London (top) and the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle (bottom) TOP IMAGE: View of the White Tower of the Tower of London as seen from the River Thames, with a view of the water-gate called "Traitors' Gate" The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defenses lagged behind developments to deal with artillery. The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularized by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the 19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures. In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison, and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public. Today the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, it is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site. BOTTOM IMAGE: The Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle The Waterloo Chamber, dating from 1830-31, is a large room in Windsor Castle dedicated to the military defeat of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by British, Prussian, Russian and Austrian forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in June of 1815 The room filled an open court that had existed since the 13th century. It was designed by the architect Jeffry Wyatville to replace the Queen's Drawing Room, Queen's Ballroom, Queen's Audience Chamber, Queen's Presence Chamber, Queen's Guard Chamber, King's Presence Chamber, King's Audience Room, King's Drawing Chamber and King's Dining Chamber which were all in Hugh May's 17th-century structure. The Waterloo Chamber along with the Grand Reception Room, White Drawing Room, Green Drawing Room, Crimson Drawing Room, State Dining Room and Octagonal Dining Room was formed. The Indian carpet, woven by inmates at Agra prison for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, is thought to be the largest seamless carpet in existence and weighs 2 tons. During the 1992 fire it took 50 soldiers to roll it up and move it. The room itself was spared due to the thick medieval walls. The dining room table (when extended to its full length is 175 feet long and seats 162) gives an idea of the scale of the room. The portrait painter Sir Thomas Lawrence was commissioned by King George IV to paint all the major figures who came together to defeat Napoleon and today these works still hang assembled there. Lawrence both traveled Europe and at another time kept a studio in London to complete the task Among the people depicted in the chamber by Lawrence are Tsar Alexander I of Russia, Emperor Francis I of Austria, King Frederick William III of Prussia, Field-Marshal Karl Philip Prince of Schwarzenberg, Archduke Charles of Austria, Napoleon II, Pope Pius VII, Cardinal Consalvi and the aforementioned Duke of Wellington. Today, each June the garter luncheon is given by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom for the Knights and Ladies of the Garter is held in the chamber.