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Tower Power: Tales from the Tower of London
Who built the Tower of London and why? Was it ever attacked? Which kings and queens stayed there? What happened to the prisoners who were kept there? What's it like now?
Visit the Tower and discover the answers for yourself! Follow in the footsteps of the people who have made it one of the most famous buildings in the world.
Visit the Tower and discover the answers for yourself! Follow in the footsteps of the people who have made it one of the most famous buildings in the world.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
32 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 16, 2020
'Tower Power' is an excellent introduction for young and old to get to know about the Tower of London; it is well illustrated and is set out in easily understood bite-sized chunks, all full of information with occasional humorous moments thrown in and all leading to a fuller understanding of the Tower, its history and its purpose.
The book begins with a welcome and a detailed plan of where everything is within (and without, vide Tower Hill) the confines of the Tower and then proceeds to describe each aspect of one of the largest and most important castles in England.
The oldest part of the Tower is the White Tower that William the Conqueror began to build not long after his victory at the battle of Hastings in 1066; William died in 1087 before it was completed and his son William Rufus subsequently finished the job. What I hadn't realised was that the Tower was only whitewashed around 200 years after it was built and thus its name.
Henry III made it a mighty fortress - he needed to do so for he had quarrelled with his barons and fled to the Tower for safety! He quickly realised that the defences were not as strong as he thought they were so he ordered extensive stone walls and towers to be built. These were strengthened even more in the reign of Edward I, who made the main entrances much stronger with stone bridges across the moat, heavy wooden gates and murder holes for dropping missiles or boiling water on any attackers.
All the important aspects of the castle are discussed and illustrated. such as the crown jewels, the mint, the arms and armour collection, the treachery and the treatment of those involved, the murders of the Princes in the Tower and the beheadings that took place within the confines. On the last mentioned, it is interesting (but not for her!) to read that Margaret Pole, aged 70, refused to put her head on the block and she ran screaming round the scaffold, chased by the executioner who 'beheaded her after several goes'!
One other most interesting aspect of the Tower - long gone to become London Zoo - is the King's Menagerie, in existence for over 600 years to keep royalty and their visitors amused. Apparently, until Victorian times, visitors were allowed in 'with monkeys, lion cubs wandered around loose and on one occasion a boy was allowed to ride a zebra'! And by 1830 there were nearly 300 animals in the menagerie and there wasn't enough room to keep them so most were given to the zoo in Regent's Park while others were sold to a showman and shipped to America.
The book ends with a really well designed and well illustrated timeline that shows among other events Colonel Blood's attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. And this little event had an unusual ending in that Blood, when captured, refused to speak to anyone but Charles II, who was so impressed with by Blood's cheekiness that he rewarded him with money and land in Ireland!
The book is an all-round good, informative and enjoyable read.
The book begins with a welcome and a detailed plan of where everything is within (and without, vide Tower Hill) the confines of the Tower and then proceeds to describe each aspect of one of the largest and most important castles in England.
The oldest part of the Tower is the White Tower that William the Conqueror began to build not long after his victory at the battle of Hastings in 1066; William died in 1087 before it was completed and his son William Rufus subsequently finished the job. What I hadn't realised was that the Tower was only whitewashed around 200 years after it was built and thus its name.
Henry III made it a mighty fortress - he needed to do so for he had quarrelled with his barons and fled to the Tower for safety! He quickly realised that the defences were not as strong as he thought they were so he ordered extensive stone walls and towers to be built. These were strengthened even more in the reign of Edward I, who made the main entrances much stronger with stone bridges across the moat, heavy wooden gates and murder holes for dropping missiles or boiling water on any attackers.
All the important aspects of the castle are discussed and illustrated. such as the crown jewels, the mint, the arms and armour collection, the treachery and the treatment of those involved, the murders of the Princes in the Tower and the beheadings that took place within the confines. On the last mentioned, it is interesting (but not for her!) to read that Margaret Pole, aged 70, refused to put her head on the block and she ran screaming round the scaffold, chased by the executioner who 'beheaded her after several goes'!
One other most interesting aspect of the Tower - long gone to become London Zoo - is the King's Menagerie, in existence for over 600 years to keep royalty and their visitors amused. Apparently, until Victorian times, visitors were allowed in 'with monkeys, lion cubs wandered around loose and on one occasion a boy was allowed to ride a zebra'! And by 1830 there were nearly 300 animals in the menagerie and there wasn't enough room to keep them so most were given to the zoo in Regent's Park while others were sold to a showman and shipped to America.
The book ends with a really well designed and well illustrated timeline that shows among other events Colonel Blood's attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. And this little event had an unusual ending in that Blood, when captured, refused to speak to anyone but Charles II, who was so impressed with by Blood's cheekiness that he rewarded him with money and land in Ireland!
The book is an all-round good, informative and enjoyable read.
May 30, 2024
Informative and easy to understand for all ages. Was also quite funny in some parts 👍
June 22, 2020
Maybe it's more a child's or a tourist's book than anything. Anyway it's highly enjoyable. Its best quality is to present a relevant historical monument to readers in a pleasant way. Lots of facts, dates, pictures and drawings. It really helps. Maybe it's because I love the Tower, and I wish to visit it again. I guarantee that if I get to do it, I will understand it a lot better.
October 28, 2019
This book is great for teaching middle school students without overloading them with information. There is lots of great facts but also illustrations that are realistic and relatable for the students.
February 16, 2022
Fun, cute, and informative! I would recommend reading this before visiting the Tower of London. It’s perfect for children, probably up to about age 12, but I really enjoyed it myself!
July 11, 2016
A brilliant kids book relating the history of the Tower of London from its creation to the present day.
Full of snippets of history through the ages and all the myths attached, the ravens, the princes in the tower, the Tudors, William the conqueror, the crown jewels, the mint and coin making, the royal menagerie and famous prisoners of the tower this book has it all.
All perfectly set out for kids (but also great for adults too) in short paragraphs dealing with each bit of information, enhanced by witty topical cartoons, colour photos bite size nuggets of information which to me makes this highly readable and easy to digest for any reader due to the information being imparted concisely hence making it easy to absorb.
A great read for anyone in general who enjoys a bit of history.
Full of snippets of history through the ages and all the myths attached, the ravens, the princes in the tower, the Tudors, William the conqueror, the crown jewels, the mint and coin making, the royal menagerie and famous prisoners of the tower this book has it all.
All perfectly set out for kids (but also great for adults too) in short paragraphs dealing with each bit of information, enhanced by witty topical cartoons, colour photos bite size nuggets of information which to me makes this highly readable and easy to digest for any reader due to the information being imparted concisely hence making it easy to absorb.
A great read for anyone in general who enjoys a bit of history.
August 17, 2015
I got this book right after I visited the Tower of London. It was mostly information but it was fun.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews