The Tower of London

We began our day today with a visit to the Tower of London, England’s most famous castle and fortress. Inside its walls, we explored the many different attractions it had to offer including the White Tower, with its display of Medieval armor, the Jewl House, with its collection of royal crowns and golden eating utensils, the Torture Chamber, with its display of gruesome torture devices, and, finally, my personal favorite, the Armouries Restaurant, with its selection of cakes, sweet rolls, and other baked goods. Items that were especially interesting for me were the torture devices, including a body stretcher and body compressor, but also the Tower’s famous collection of ravens. This particular colony of ravens has dwelled within the Tower’s walls for hundreds of years, as the prophecy states that, should the birds fly from the tower, the kingdom will fall. I found it kind of humorous that, even to this day, the bird’s feathers are clipped, preventing them from flying away. I’m not sure of England’s stance on abortion, but it certainly seems to have no problem with “bird control.” 

 Inside the walls of the Tower of London

While the Tower was interesting, I couldn’t help but notice how the attraction was geared toward the younger crowd. Elementary school groups were a dime a dozen, as were activities in the Tower such as “test your archery skills,” “Henry VIII in 3D,” and sound effects in the castles that simulated an attack on the fortress. While I really have no problem with this from a business perspective, it’s worth noting how much this differs from the historic displays in Rome. I definitely feel like Rome’s target audience is much more mature, and in many cases, more well educated than London's. I’m not exactly sure what the reason behind this might be, but it could have something to do with London’s struggle between the old and the modern. In Rome, the monuments, piazzas, churches, and even the ancient cobblestone roads are less museums, and more parts of the current, functioning city. The churches in Rome, with no admission charges, feel much more like hometown parishes than London’s churches, which, with their admission charges, feel more removed from the fast-paced city around them. Perhaps this is the goal of the well-defined museums in London, an attempt at designating something as historically significant, a necessary distinction that is less appropriate in the well-integrated city of Rome.

 

The White Tower