The Tower of London: A Landmark Alive With History The Tower of London is one of the most famous and visited historic monuments in the world. For some people it conjures up images of Norman architecture and towering battlements, but most associate it with arms and armour, ravens, the Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders, imprisonment, death and ghostly apparitions. But this does not do it justice: the history of the Tower and its buildings is a vast, fascinating and complex subject, intertwined with the history of the country of England, its government, its kings and queens, and its people and institutions. The castle's first four centuries, during the Middle Ages, saw the development of the layout of buildings that we know today and its …show more content…
The White Tower was protected to the east and south by the old Roman city walls, while the north and west sides were protected by ditches and an earthwork with a wooden wall on top. The tower was reinforced on the two western corners by square turrets, by a round tower housing the main staircase on the north-eastern corner, and by a half-round projection housing the chapel on the south-eastern corner. Inside, each of the building's four levels was divided into three parts. The lowest level contained access to the well while the main entrance was situated on the floor above and reached by a timber staircase. In the 12th century a 'fore-building' was added to the south front of the White Tower to protect the entrance. From very early on the enclosure contained a number of timber buildings for residential and service use. It is important for us today to remember that the functions of the Tower from the 1070s until the late 19th century were established by its Norman founders. The Tower was never primarily intended to protect London from external invasion, although, of course, it could have done so if necessary. Nor was it ever intended to be the principal residence of the kings and queens of England, though many did in fact spend periods of time there. Its primary function was always to provide a base for royal power in the City of London and
Buechner states that the White Tower is this found in London, and it is a pillar of stone that one can find peace and serenity. Below the tower there are dungeons and little room for air. Buechner states that he is the White Tower, and to some extent we are all like the White Tower. With the topic of the White Tower, Buechner intertwines how the Tower relates to his daughter’s anorexia and his family’s journey through this time. Just when he felt like he was falling apart there were some gifts that the Lord provided him in the midst of the struggle.
William, king of England introduced castles to England around the time 1066. The Tower of London is one of the most famous castles. It was built to protect the Norman rulers in England. The Normans had difficulties keeping England under their rule, so they built a lot of castles for defense.
It was very important it was chosen to be rebuilt 3 times. First in 1705 then 1753 and finally, in 1934. The first two were destroyed by fires, but it still stands today. The building held the House of Burgesses and general court. General court decided if you had broken a law and are claimed guilty. The House of Burgesses thought
The castle would usually be built on higher ground to see enemies coming from below. This would also help to build a moat, the drawbridge would be the only pathway from the land to the castle. The castle would have multiple stories from basements to dungeons. The toilet would be built at the bottom story to let the waste go down into the water below.
Over the years the Castle grew in size; sections of floors were added for rooms. The Grand Ballroom was constructed for celebration purposes; and the Twin Towers, for means of watch. High walls became the surroundings of Castle Grisrock, and with the King’s family also growing in number; houses were built beyond these walls and were later called the Domains.
These two sources show that there was meant to have been a moat, this is also a way of protecting castles from attack. The deep moat would have strengthened the defences of the gunports and the massive portcullis. When I visited Thornbury Castle their was an old ruined part this is meant to be the army barracks for the purpose of retaining men, on the ground floor it was meant to be stables and on the floors above reached by wooden staircases, were living quarters for the hired army its hard to say how many men Buckingham would have had it might have been hundreds or possibly a thousand, with which Buckingham intended to assert his independence and viewed of fortifying himself against the king. Under Henry the VIII no-one was meant to own their own army but why was Edward Stafford building room for so many people? Then in the outer court there is a wide open space which may have been meant to for a training ground for his army.
Robert Smythson was the most important architect in England in the 16th century. In fact he is “the only architect of that time known to us with any certainty”(Robert)
The Castle, directed by Rob Sitch, is an Australian comedy, which delves into the lives of a stereotypical Australian family, the Kerrigans. The film touchs on issues close to home in a humourous way. The audience is introduced to the classic Aussie family, narrated in the viewpoint of the youngest of the Kerrigans, Dale.
It also serves as the border between the woods, mountains, and estate grounds, serving as sort of a barrier. While the tower is not
Just as Beowulf asked, it could be seen from far and wide. It was so high it looked as if it was about to touch the clouds. The Geats built the tower up as high as their hands allowed. The tower was absolutely beautiful. You could see every last detail. The blocks truly glistened in the sun from how great it looked.
Darryl’s life is worth fighting for. “You can’t buy what I’ve got.” ‘The Castle’ directed by Rob Sitch, about one man, his family and neighbours on the verge of being homeless. Darryl Kerrigan, the “backbone of the family” won’t stand for that. Of course no one can buy what he has. He’s spent almost his entire lifetime building what he has, why should he give it up? Darryl’s way of life is simple yet filled with family values. 3 Highview Crescent is the home to Darryl, his wife Sal and their 3 children: Wayne, Steve, Tracy and Dale. (Wayne currently being in jail.) The house is made up of love, and simple family values. Darryl’s also added bits and pieces to it. He’s added on so much to the house, his own personal touch. His neighbours,
Resting against the west wall of the tower is the stone effigy of a knight, possibly representing a knight who fought at the Battle of Byland in 1322; he has a long beard and wears a surcoat over his suit of chain-mail armour; over his shoulder, peers the head of a woman wearing a wimple and small square cap, a fashion for ladies of rank during that period. Outside, set in the north wall, is a Norman doorway richly decorated with beak-heads and signs of the
Jack London, an American author known for his thrilling adventure stories, showed the world that even an exciting story that takes place in exotic settings can include all the intricacies of great literature. This is seen in many of his stories with the implementation of symbolism, many times a recurring theme in his work. Also, London used many ideas of the day such as Darwinism and Spencerism in his writings in order to better portray his views. However, perhaps one of the most telling signs that London wrote good literature was through London's mastery of a rising literary movement known as naturalism.
Born the second son of a royal family, Henry Tudor lived a very interesting life. His future was intended to be the head of the Roman Catholic Church and that fate ended with the death of his brother, Prince Arthur. Henry’s majestic life was full of sports, women, and faith. The young King acceded his father to the throne, married six women, and began the English Reformation when he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created his own religion.
As Renzo Piano said “I don’t believe it is possible to build a tall building in London by extruding the same shape from bottom to top. It would be too small at the bottom and too big at the top. Likewise, symbols are dangerous. Often tall buildings are aggressive and arrogant symbols of power and ego, selfish and hermetic. The tower is designed to be