Horse in a Castle

Yesterday we got to visit the Tower of London, which has been my favorite stop on our trip so far. We had just over two hours to spend in the castle, so rather than spending a large chunk of the time waiting in line to see the Crown Jewels, I decided to go with the group that wanted to wander around and see what else the place had to offer. Where we ended up spending most of our time was in the White Tower at the center of the castle grounds, a fascinating structure full of pieces of history and interesting corners. The first room consisted of several suits of armor, each with accompanying plaques describing who the armor belonged to. The best part was that many of the suits were posed as if they were riding the statues of horses that also filled the space. There were so many horses, one of which was getting some real nice back light from the window it was placed directly in front of (see below). 

It was also interesting to learn that so many relevant people throughout history have been imprisoned at the Tower of London, one of which was Henry VI, who was still king when he was captured at the tour. Born in 1421, Henry VI succeeded to the throne at the very mature age of 9 months, but it wasn’t until he was 16 that he actually took over leadership responsibilities. He was also the King of France for a time, and controversy surrounding his claim to both thrones led to a rebellion in the country, which ultimately led to his imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1461 at the hands of Edward IV. However he was released and regained control of the throne in 1970, before Edward took it back the next year, killing Henry VI’s only son and capturing Henry once more. Henry VI died in the Tower of London, though the circumstances around his death aren’t known with certainty. 

It was definitely an interesting place rich with history and getting to walk around an actual castle was pretty fun. I found it kinda surreal how we would be walking in a literal castle, and then I can look up and just see the Shard. IT really captured just how old London is, and how that old coexists with the new in such a unique way.