1. The story of the Tower What has the Tower been used for in the past?
Introduction:
This PowerPoint introduces pupils to the history of the Tower of London, its purpose and uses over time. The Tower was built as a palace and castle to control access to London from the river. It was a symbol of Norman power and wealth. All subsequent uses of the Tower have reflected its secure, military nature. This PowerPoint explores the different phases of the Tower’s history in relation to its different uses.
What has the Tower been used for in the past?

2. What has the Tower been used for?
Teachers’ notes:
This PowerPoint will help pupils understand the different uses of the Tower, how the uses have changed over time and what events have caused these changes to happen (for example rebellion, religious and political changes). Ask the pupils what they think the Tower has been used for throughout its 1000 year history.

3. What has the Tower been used for?
keeping crown jewels safe
home for the Yeoman Warders
prison
military storehouse
menagerie (zoo)
fortress
tourist attraction
barracks
Royal Mint
royal palace
growing vegetables
place of execution
Teachers’ notes:
Discuss with the pupils the various uses of the Tower listed in this slide and ensure they understand what each use means. Some of the uses may be more familiar to pupils than others. Which was the first one they thought of? Which one do they think is the most important? Which uses didn’t they know?
Because the Tower of London was built as a fortress, its other uses – royal palace, prison, treasury – arose because it was a secure site.
To find our more about the different roles of the Tower, follow up with the ‘Did you know’?’ pre-visit PowerPoint.
How many of these uses did you already know?

4. Why has the Tower had so many uses?
Teachers’ notes:
Ask the pupils what features make the Tower so secure and why these features may have contributed to its various uses, including prison, military storehouse and ‘home’ of the crown jewels.
Explain to the pupils that these features are only part of the story – the Tower is nearly 1000 years old and because it has been around for such a long time, its functions were changed to meet the needs of the monarch / country at different times. These functions ranged from a fortress and royal residence to prison, mint and record office.
View of the Tower of London from the south
The Tower of London has had different uses over time because it was built as a secure fortress.

5. Timeline of the Tower William I chooses site for a castle in London
Henry III adds outer wall and towers
Military storehouses are added
1000
1500
2000
Victoria adds Waterloo Barracks
Edward I builds the Medieval Palace
Teachers’ notes:
Timeline of key developments of the Tower during its history.
White Tower is built
Henry VIII adds royal lodgings for Anne Boleyn

6. The Norman Tower King William I to King Henry II 1066-1189
William I from the Bayeux Tapestry
The White Tower –
the oldest building at the Tower of London

7. The Norman Tower Why was the Tower originally built?
The Tower in the time of William I
Teachers’ notes:
The Tower was built within the south-eastern corner of the wall that the Romans built around Londinium, circa AD200. Parts of this wall are still visible within the Tower site today. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William I ( ) commissioned the building of the Tower as a fortress and a palace. The Tower controlled and protected the eastern entry to London from the river. It was one of the first great stone towers to be built in England and was the tallest tower in the country.
Work on the White Tower began in the reign of William I in 1070s
It was a symbol of the king’s power
It protected entry to London from the river
It was used as a royal palace

8. The Medieval Tower King John to King Richard II 1189-1399
The first animals arrived at the Tower in the reign of King John

9. The Medieval Tower How did the Tower change in medieval times?
What was it used for?
The Tower in the time of Henry III
The Tower became a mighty fortress
Royal lodgings were improved
First prisoner was held at the Tower in 1100
First branch of the Royal Mint was set up at the Tower
Royal valuables and papers were first stored at the Tower
First animals were kept at the Tower
Teachers’ notes:
The medieval period from the reign of King John ( ) to King Richard II ( ) saw the biggest changes to the architecture of the Tower. Apart from later minor changes, Richard II’s fortress is the one we know today. The Tower became a power base in peacetime and a refuge during times of trouble for the English kings. During the reigns of Richard I ( ) and Henry III ( ) the Tower’s defences were strengthened by the addition of a curtain wall, which surrounded the keep. Edward I ( ) built a second curtain wall surrounded by a moat.
The royal residences were also expanded and today you can visit the Medieval Palace and explore Edward I’s reconstructed bedchamber.
By the reign of Edward I, the Tower was put to broader uses than just military and residential. It was already in use as a prison (the first prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100) and as a place for storing official papers and valuable items. A branch of the Royal Mint was established there and the Mint played an important role in the Tower’s history until the 19th century. Exotic animals, such as lions and bears, were given to the monarch as diplomatic gifts from the reign of King John onwards. As a result, the Tower also became a Royal Menagerie, or zoo.

10. The Tudor Tower King Henry VII to Queen Elizabeth I 1485-1603
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Traitors' Gate

11. The Tudor Tower How was the Tower used in Tudor times? Why?
Henry VIII added the Queen’s House for Anne Boleyn
112 prisoners were kept in the Tower during Henry VIII’s reign
The Water gate was renamed Traitors’ Gate during this period
How was the Tower used in Tudor times?
Why?
Teachers’ notes:
During the reign of Henry VIII ( ), the Tower’s role changed. Royal palaces were no longer designed as defensive strongholds and the king’s favoured residences (Hampton Court, Greenwich, Nonsuch and Whitehall) emphasised his wealth and splendour. Henry VIII added the Queen’s House in honour of Anne Boleyn’s coronation.
It was during the reign of the Tudors that the Tower acquired its bloody reputation as a prison and place of execution. The Tower was a secure place to keep political and religious prisoners. The list of Tudor prisoners is long and comprises many famous names, including Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Walter Raleigh, the Earl of Essex and Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I). Many prisoners left their ‘mark’ on the building. Today, when you visit the Tower you can see prisoners’ inscriptions that were carved into the walls of the Beauchamp Tower and the Salt Tower.
The Tower in the time of Henry VIII

12. Victorian times Queen Victoria 1837-1901
The Grand storehouses on fire

13. Victorian times Why did the Tower become a tourist attraction?
What else was the Tower used for in Victorian Times?
The Tower in the reign of Queen Victoria
Teachers’ notes:
At the start of the Victorian era, the Tower was home to the Royal Mint, the Public Record Office and the Board of Ordnance (responsible for military supplies for the army and navy). Throughout the 19th century these government departments found new ‘homes’ elsewhere, along with the Menagerie (zoo).
The number of visitors to the Tower increased as the industrial revolution created more leisure time for ordinary people. By 1901, over half a million people were visiting the Tower each year. Some changes were made to the Tower to make it look more ‘medieval’, which reflected the contemporary fashion for all things Gothic.
The Waterloo Barracks were opened in 1840.
Tower of London became a tourist attraction
The White Tower was home to important government departments
The Waterloo Barracks were built (now the Waterloo Block, home to the Crown Jewels)

14. The Tower today 20th and 21st Century
Teachers’ notes:
The Tower today is an important and popular tourist attraction, as well as a fortress and home to the Crown Jewels. It is also home to the community of 35 Yeoman Warders and their families. The Yeoman Warders provide guided tours to the visiting public, and carry out security and ceremonial duties.
During WWII, the moat was turned into allotments for growing vegetables. The Tower was badly damaged during the Blitz and many German spies were imprisoned and executed on site. In 1941, a German spy names Joseph Jakobs became the last person to be executed at the Tower.
The Tower during World War II
Yeoman Warder leading visitors around the Tower

15. The Tower today How is the Tower used today?
The Tower is a very popular tourist attraction – 2.5 million visitors a year!
It is home to the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters)
During WWII the moat was turned into allotments and used to grow vegetables in

16. Summary What did you already know about the Tower?
What new information have you learnt?
What do you want to find out more about when you visit?