Tower of London (The Tower of London)

Member Name: tanyatigerlily

Product:	The Tower of London
Date:	16/08/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The quality of the exhibits

Disadvantages: Quite expensive to visit

My husband and I recently paid a visit to the Tower of London and had a splendid day out. We are both interested in Henry VIII and had seen the 'Dressed to Kill' exhibition being advertised.

First thing to remember when planning a visit is that there is a lot to see and you need a full day to truly experience the Tower. The Tower of London is always busy and expect a bit of a queue for your tickets (£17 entrance fee per adult).

I would recommend a guided Beefeater Tour as a starting point. This takes about an hour and is included in the price of your ticket. The Beefeaters are very knowledgeable about the history of the Tower and give you an excellent overview of life at the Tower through the ages. Interestingly all the Beefeaters live at the Tower with their families. After completing the Beefeater tour I would suggest that you invest in the Audio Tour (£4 per person). The Audio Tour guides you through sections of the Tower and goes into great detail about the history of the Tower. Occasionally the Audio Tour gives you the option to see parts of the Tower that are not covered by the tour, so you simply press pause, investigate on your own, and when you are ready for the next part of the Audio Tour you press play again.

There are 2 MUST SEE exhibitions at the Tower:
Firstly - the Crown Jewels. Whether you are a Royalist or not you cannot but be impressed by the Jewels on display. It would be hard to describe the magnificence of some of the items. The main display of crowns is flanked on either side by 2 'conveyor belts'. You get to stand on these and drift past the crowns without having to concentrate on walking. My husband and I kept walking back round and having 'another go' until we had drifted past at least 5 times (we thought it would be wise to stop before the security people became suspicious!)

Secondly - 'Dressed to Kill' is the fantastic exhibition in the White Tower about Henry VIII's suites of armour and weapons, from childhood to old age. It also includes a fantastic collection of horse armour. You can see exhibits and video footage about jousting tournaments. This exhibition is vast and is spread over 3 levels of the White Tower. You do not need to pay any additional entrance fee to view this exhibition.

When you need a break from history you can have a bite to eat in the restaurant. The quality of the food is great and they have a decent selection to choose from. There are also a few gift shops around for souvenir buying.

Summary: Undoubtedly my favourite historical building in London