The White Tower
The Tower of London. The White Tower.
"The oldest part of the fortress is the White Tower, begun about 1078 on a site previously occupied by two bastions built by King Alfred in 885. The architect was Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester. It is said to owe its name to the fact that its walls were whitewashed in 1240. ... In the centre of the court, upon slightly rising ground, stands the White Tower, or Keep, the most ancient part of the fortress. It measures 107 ft. from N. to 8. and 118 ft. from E. to W., and is 92 ft. high. The walls are 13-15 ft. thick and are surmounted with turrets at the angles. The original Norman windows, with the exception of four on the S. side, were altered in the classical style by Sir Christopher Wren in 1663-1709. Among the many important scenes enacted in this tower may be mentioned the abdication of Richard II. in favour of Henry of Bolingbroke in 1399".--Baedeker 1915
Part of the Tower of London UNESCO World Heritage site. DSC_0848
Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the ear... ... read more 
