Mysteries of the Tower of London

by Geoffrey Abbott, Ed Geldard (Photographer)

One would have thought that after 9 centuries or more, a place as important as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, to give its full title, cold have no mysteries; so official were it's many activities, so documented its many functions, that surely everything must have been reported or recorded, explained or accounted for.

Yet despite its vital importance in the life of the nation and all the meticulous records maintained, the Tower's past is punctuated by question marks, its history inextricably and in many cases, inexplicably, intertwined with mystery. Not only does buried treasure await discovery and skeletons plead for identification, but the spirits of the hapless prisoners who died by bullet or blade, suffocation or poison, all cry out for the truth to be revealed, their killers named the reasons for their cruel deaths exposed.

But as the following pages will show, dark are the shadows where the Tower's secrets lurk, and brave the person who seeks to unravel the threads of the past.

Genres: British Literature, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Geoffrey Abbott served for many years as a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. Author of nineteen books and contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica/, he has made numerous television appearances. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Natasha M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little guidebook/curiosity book of the type one can usually find at a visitor center or gift shop. I suspect I bought this when I went to the Tower of London for a visit as a teenager but I'm not entirely sure. At that age I was likely drawn by the mystery of the Princes of the Tower (always a subject of fascination for me) and the promise of ghosts--alas, there aren't too many accounts of ghostly occurrences in this one though the author is good at self-advertising and promises that one of his other books is solely dedicated to the supernatural. Sadly, I don't think I own it! Yes, my love of ghosts goes back even further to my childhood.

Anywho, as the book's title states, this is about the Mysteries. There aren't any real answers to any of the questions posed by the chapter titles (though I do suspect a lot of the ones regarding "suspicious deaths" were all-out murder) He gives us a bit of framework for some of the history (or time period) of the mystery and maintains some of the spelling of the time when quoting various accounts of the day. This time I read it in order, cover to cover but in the past I would pick it up and read a chapter that I was interested in and then go on to another one--the chapters aren't in a chronological framework through the various reigns so in some ways it lends itself to that sort of preferential reading. What I also liked is that this was written by a retired Yeoman warder so we have some descriptions that may not have been possible by the casual layperson as he had access to various areas that are off limits to the general public.

As a warning, there are some descriptions of torture/executions so the squeamish should definitely skim or gloss over those portions of the text.

I also want to note that the smattering of images within this little book (at least in my edition which was reprinted in 2000) are in black and white.

Anyway, this is a fun little read if one wants a bit of trivia about the historical happenings of the Tower of London.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are tourist books I picked up at a used book store, but they provide fun reading, well written with just enough detail and documentation (and appropriate since we visited the Tower in May). The small book is comprised of short, informative accounts of odd and intriguing events centered in the Tower, with the historical background that gives appropriate context aimed at readers interested in popular history.

[Tina Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister stayed in England for 2 years and she would have liked this little tour book. I didn’t realize that so much actually happened behind the walls of the Tower and the buildings that make it up. I especially liked the stories of the Ravens.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some of the stories in this book very fascinating, while others I could have cared less about. I am always interested in peoples take on the Princes missing from the Tower, so this book was worth the read.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories of hauntings and ghosts in the Tower of London. My favorite story is of the boys who were murdered while they lived in the Tower. No one knows who did it.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting & short history of the Tower - but I wonder now why it is not called the TowerS of London? There are so many & each have lots of stories to tell!

[Samantha Stanton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good

[msleighm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this January of 2005 when I was in London and fell in love with the Tower of London.

This collection is a hodge-podge of stories and "sitings". It's interesting in its way.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good mystery and this book didn't disappoint at all.