Tower Castle

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:34 am

Tower castle is a fascinating place. Situated next to Tower brodge on the Thames River, Tower Castle is where the Crown jewels are kept.
Tower castle is also the site of many gruesome deaths over the centuries. From suicides to beheadings to assasinations.
It was raining the day we went, but it was still a very imposing structure.
One can just imagine soldiers on the battlements, archers at the ready as foreign armies try to breach the walls.

Tower Castle with Tower Bridge in the background. Tower Bridge is, in itself, a fantastic feat of engineering and one of the most well known bridges in the world. Traffic is always heavy over the bridge, although there is a footpath (of sorts) that pedestrians can walk along (You do take your life into your own hands though!)

The Thames River is also a heavily used mode of transport. From river cruises, to barges, to transport of goods, Thames River runs fairly well through the middle of London and has many drop off points.
Here is one of the barges, of which there are many.

On our cruise along the Thames we were fascinated with the variety of buildings, ranging from old structures dating back to the 1700's, to modern buildings of 2005.
Interestingly, at one point in Londons history (around 1920 I think) it was illegal to advertise products or companies on buildings (It spoiled the view the Council said)
So OXO, the condiments manufacturer said they would comply with this order in building their new head office.
They did not advertise as such, just designed their windows to reflect who they were.
Here is a pic.

And finally, for now, a picture of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben taken from the London Eye. It was overcast that day, so the pic is quite grey looking.

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