The Tower of London: The Official Illustrated History

by Edward Impey, Geoffrey Parnell

An up-to-date history of one of the most visited monuments in the world that includes evidence from the most recent archaeological investigations and research. Many superb colour photographs illustrate the site's development from its first use as a fortified position in Roman London, to its construction and expansion into a major royal palace. The Tower's function constantly changed and adapted during its lengthy life as exhibited by its use as a mint, prison, zoo, Record Office, military hospital, repository for the Crown jewels and museum. Each section contains many fascinating snippets of information, plans and charts which vividly bring the structures and personalities of the Tower to life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guide to The Tower of London, one of the most recognisable buildings in the UK. The book tells us the story of the castle from conception to current use. The chapters are broken down into its history century by century and then the various uses of the building/buildings. Comes in bitesize chunks which makes the information easier to digest and is liberally interspersed with illustrations. Informative and enjoyable.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased at Tower of London December 8th, 2001

3.5 / 5.0

Good pictures and Informative Text. Kind of hard to follow.

[Lucy]

This interesting book gives the history of the Tower of London, starting in Roman times ranging up to the 20th century. Published in 2000. It focuses on buildings added to and subtracted from within the walls. Also covers the people and institutions housed therein.
Chapters are: Part 1 covers the Tower in the Middle Ages: before the tower (A.D.43-1066), The Conqueror’s castle (1066-1100), The twelfth century (1200-1307), The later Middle Ages (1307-1485). Part 2 covers the Tower and its institutions (1485-2000): The Royal lodgings (1485-1604), The arsenal before 1600, The arsenal after 1600, The garrison and fortifications, The Royal Mint, The Tower record office, The state prison, The public showplace (including the armouries, the menagerie, the Jewel House), The Tower community, The castle restored, The Tower in the twentieth century. Glossary and bibliography. Lots of interesting historical illustrations.
A lot is very interesting, but some got a bit tedious in details. It would be even more interesting to people who were better familiar with the tower. I kept having to refer to the plan to see which individual part of the castle was being talked about.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good clear guide to the tower. Lots of photos.