Ways to Explore the Tower of London Before You Get There
The Tower of London remains one of the UK capital’s most-loved and most enigmatic historical sites. Dating back to the 11th century, it has long been one of the city’s most recognisable tourist attractions and now there are various ways of exploring it before you even get there.
Board Games and Slots
There are various board games based on this castle, such as one called Tower of London, where the player aims to take control of the different buildings that it’s formed from. This game also shows the historical importance of ravens, as they play a big part in the gameplay. Alternatively, Escape from the Tower of London is a tactical game where Sherlock Holmes uses blocks to try and stop Moriarty from stealing the crown jewels, which are kept here.
The Beat the Bobbies at the Tower of London game is one of numerous online slot titles that use themes to set the scene, with others including wild animals and explorers discovering ancient tombs in Egypt. In this case, it’s been created by Eyecon Games and features a variety of characters over five reels and with the imposing Tower in the background. This game also features someone trying to grab the crown jewels, which are on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower.
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Watch Movies or Documentaries
The Tower of London has been featured in many movies over the years. This guide to filming there from Historic Royal Palaces points out that Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Dr Who are among the different productions that have been filmed here over the years.
The Jokers movie from 1967 focuses on the idea that two characters, played by Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed, want to get the crown jewels from the Tower of London as they want to become famous. Filming was carried out across the city, giving modern viewers a taste of what London was like back in the 1960s.
Another film about the iconic location from the sixties, 1962’s The Tower of London is a horror with a gothic feel. Starring Vincent Price as King Richard III, it was shot mainly on studio-built sets. The 1939 movie of the same name starring Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone was filmed using a spectacular 75-foot-high model of the Tower which the film company also used in later movies.
In terms of documentaries, the rich history of this building is the subject of Secrets of the Tower of London, which can be streamed on the PBS site. This show looks at the way that it’s been used over the centuries as a feared prison, a weapon store, and even as a place to keep exotic animals safe.
All of these different ways of exploring the Tower of London give us an idea of what it’s like and the variety of ways that it’s been used over time. However, there’s no doubt that visiting it in real life to find out more is an essential part of any trip to the UK capital.