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— CH. 1 · NORMAN CONSTRUCTION ORIGINS —

White Tower (Tower of London)

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
6 sections

  • William the Conqueror began building a timber fortification in 1066. Work on the stone keep started within the next decade. Dendrochronological evidence suggests construction of the White Tower began between 1075 and 1079. The Textus Roffensis records that Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, oversaw the building work under instruction from William the Conqueror. It is traditionally held that construction began in 1078. Archaeology of the standing building suggests there was a pause in construction between 1080 and 1090, 1093. In 1995, historian Geoffrey Parnell found evidence on the interior side of a wall showing the structure was originally two-thirds its present size with a pitched roof. It was only enlarged to its present size by William Rufus after a hurricane in 1090. The White Tower was probably complete by 1100 at the latest.

  • Henry III ordered the tower whitewashed in March 1240. The Keeper of the Works at the Tower of London was commanded to have the Great Tower whitened both inside and out. Later that year the king wrote to the Keeper, commanding that the White Tower's lead guttering should be extended. Henry also added decoration to the chapel in the keep, adding stained glass, statues, and paintings. By the 1320s the chapel in the White Tower was used to store records. This marked the beginning of the castle's diminishing role as a royal residence. The records were briefly removed from the White Tower in 1360 to accommodate the captive French king, John II. Activity at the castle in the early 14th century declined relative to previous periods. Though the Tower of London was still occasionally used as a residence, it became more of a military storehouse under Edward III.

  • Richard II was imprisoned at the Tower of London and abdicated there in 1399. On the 17th of June 1674, during the course of demolition of a forebuilding, bones belonging to two children were discovered beneath the stairs. It was assumed that they belonged to the Princes in the Tower. After the death of Edward IV his 12-year-old son was declared king as Edward V, but never crowned. Richard Duke of Gloucester was named Lord Protector while the prince was too young to rule. Edward was confined to the Tower of London along with his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury. The Duke of Gloucester was then proclaimed King Richard III in July 1483. The princes had last been seen in public in June 1483. The most likely reason for their disappearance is that they were murdered late in the summer of 1483. The remains were re-interred in Westminster Abbey.

  • By the Tudor period, the science of fortification had changed to deal with powerful cannons. Some adaptations to use cannons were made; the changes included adding a timber platform to the top of the White Tower for cannon emplacements. The weight of the guns damaged the roof so that it had to be reinforced. In 1640 Charles I ordered that the Tower of London should be prepared for conflict. Platforms for cannons were built and 21 were installed on top of the White Tower with three additional mortars. Despite the new defences the Parliamentarians captured the Tower of London without the cannon being used. By 1657 the entire building apart from the chapel was being used to store gunpowder. Storing both gunpowder and government records in the White Tower was not ideal. Repeated suggestions in 1620, 1718, and 1832 to move the gunpowder to a new location were unsuccessful.

  • In 1825 a building, the New Horse Armoury, to contain effigies of England's kings was constructed against the south of the White Tower. The Gothic revival design of the structure was widely reviled. In the mid-19th century, under the encouragement of Prince Albert, Anthony Salvin undertook a programme of restoration at the castle. In 1858 the White Tower's roof was reinforced with iron girders. On the 26th of January 1885 a bomb in the White Tower damaged some of the displays. The roofs of the White Tower and its turrets were repaired in the 1960s and 1970s. Accumulated dirt was washed from the exterior and the floors inside were replaced. In 1974, there was a bomb explosion in the Mortar Room in the White Tower, leaving one person dead and 35 injured. Between 2008 and 2011 a £2 million conservation programme was undertaken at the White Tower. Repairs were carried out and the keep was cleaned, removing pollution that was causing damage to the structure.

  • The main building material is Kentish ragstone, though some local mudstone was also used. Caen stone was imported from northern France to provide details in the Tower's facing, much of it replaced by Portland stone in the 17th and 18th centuries under the direction of architect Inigo Jones. At the western corners are square towers, while to the north-east a round tower houses a spiral staircase. At the south-east corner is a larger semi-circular projection which accommodates the apse of the chapel. The structure was originally three storeys high, comprising a basement floor, an entrance level, and an upper floor. The entrance was above ground on the south face and accessed via a wooden staircase which could be removed in the event of an attack. Latrines were built into the walls, and four fireplaces provided warmth. St John's Chapel occupied the south-east corner and was accessible only from the eastern chamber.

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Tower of London

Common questions

When did construction of the White Tower begin and end?

Dendrochronological evidence suggests construction began between 1075 and 1079, though tradition holds it started in 1078. The White Tower was probably complete by 1100 at the latest.

Who ordered the White Tower to be whitewashed and when?

Henry III ordered the tower whitewashed in March 1240. He commanded the Keeper of the Works to have the Great Tower whitened both inside and out that same year.

What happened to Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury in the White Tower?

Edward V and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury were confined to the Tower of London after their father Edward IV died in 1483. They had last been seen in public in June 1483 and were likely murdered late in the summer of that year.

How was the White Tower modified for cannon use during the Tudor period and Civil War?

Adaptations included adding a timber platform to the top of the White Tower for cannon emplacements which damaged the roof. In 1640 Charles I ordered platforms built and 21 cannons installed on top of the White Tower with three additional mortars.

When did bomb explosions occur in the White Tower and what damage did they cause?

A bomb exploded in the White Tower on the 26th of January 1885 damaging some displays. Another explosion occurred in the Mortar Room in 1974 leaving one person dead and 35 injured.

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All sources

50 references cited across the entry

  1. 1harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 5–9Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  2. 2harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 9Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  3. 3harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 17Impey, Parnell — 2000
  4. 4webTower's secret storey rewrites history1995-11-25
  5. 5harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 9–12Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  6. 6harvnbParnell (1993) p. 19–23Parnell — 1993
  7. 7harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 25–27Impey, Parnell — 2000
  8. 8harvnbParnell (1993) p. 32Parnell — 1993
  9. 9harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 27Impey, Parnell — 2000
  10. 10harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 41Impey, Parnell — 2000
  11. 11harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 87Impey, Parnell — 2000
  12. 12harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 41–42Impey, Parnell — 2000
  13. 13harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 57Impey, Parnell — 2000
  14. 14harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 20Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  15. 15harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 46–47Impey, Parnell — 2000
  16. 16harvnbParnell (1993) p. 68Parnell — 1993
  17. 17harvnbHorrox (2004)Horrox — 2004
  18. 18harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 73Impey, Parnell — 2000
  19. 19harvnbParnell (1993) p. 58Parnell — 1993
  20. 20harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 58Impey, Parnell — 2000
  21. 21harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 97Impey, Parnell — 2000
  22. 22harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 74Impey, Parnell — 2000
  23. 23harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 61–62Impey, Parnell — 2000
  24. 24harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 97–101, 117Impey, Parnell — 2000
  25. 25harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 118Impey, Parnell — 2000
  26. 26harvnbParnell (1993) p. 115Parnell — 1993
  27. 27citationOn This Day 1974: Bomb blast at the Tower of LondonBBC News Online — 17 July 1974
  28. 28citationUNESCO ConstitutionUNESCO
  29. 29citationTower of LondonUNESCO
  30. 30citationThe White Tower conservation projectTracy Simmons — Historic Royal Palaces
  31. 31citationFrequently asked questionsEnglish Heritage
  32. 32harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 124Impey, Parnell — 2000
  33. 33harvnbFriar (2003) p. 163Friar — 2003
  34. 34harvnbAllen Brown (1976) p. 15Allen Brown — 1976
  35. 35harvnbAllen Brown (1976) p. 44Allen Brown — 1976
  36. 36harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 16Impey, Parnell — 2000
  37. 37harvnbImpey, Parnell (2000) p. 18–19Impey, Parnell — 2000
  38. 38harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 11Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  39. 39harvnbParnell (1993) p. 22Parnell — 1993
  40. 40harvnbParnell (1993) p. 20Parnell — 1993
  41. 41harvnbFriar (2003) p. 164Friar — 2003
  42. 42harvnbParnell (1993) p. 75Parnell — 1993
  43. 43bookThe British metropolis in 1851Arthur Hall, Virtue & Company, Paternoster Row — 1851
  44. 44bookA Short history of the Tower of London; with a list of the interesting curiosities contained in the Armories and RegaliaJoseph Wheeler — T. Hodgson — 1842
  45. 45bookLeigh's New Picture of London ... New edition, carefully revisedSamuel LEIGH (Publisher.) — Samuel Leigh — 1830
  46. 46bookThe Tudor Law of TreasonJohn Bellamy — Routledge — 2013
  47. 47bookHenry VIII : the decline and fall of a tyrant.Robert Hutchinson — Weidenfeld & Nicolson — 2020
  48. 48harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 10–11Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984
  49. 49harvnbFriar (2003) p. 16Friar — 2003
  50. 50harvnbAllen Brown, Curnow (1984) p. 12Allen Brown, Curnow — 1984