Visiting the Tower of London was an enriching experience that made me reminisce on my Game of Thrones obsession days. I desperately wanted to send a raven and shoot a crossbow out a window. The buildings there were some of the most beautiful architectural pieces I have ever seen, with ornate details and intricate designs. Visiting the White Tower and the Crown Jewels made me realize that British historical culture is one of lavishness and maximalism. Money truly was power and material objects were symbols of worthiness and righteousness. It is fascinating to me how royalty characterized themselves by decoration, accessories, and grandeur. Shiny objects equal wealth. It was interesting to see how color and texture, especially purple, was used to signify respectability. Also, I was surprised at how much armor King Henry VIII had, which makes me think he either fought a lot or just liked the way they looked in his collection. It’s hard not to question all of Henry VIII’s actions, respectfully.
My favorite part of this visit was the Beauchamp Tower, or the Imprisonment Tower. British people back in the day sure did love some revenge. Particularly, I was fascinated by the stories of some heroic female prisoners. Anne Askew. Boy was she a baddie. She was the first woman to request a divorce! That must have taken so much courage to be the first one to be like, “Hey, I don’t like you and if you can divorce me, I can divorce you too.” However, the British didn’t like to let women have hobbies so of course she was also the only woman tortured in the Tower, too. The reason she was tortured is because she wouldn’t snitch on the Protestant radicals, which like—SLAY! Keep those secrets, girl. She said, “Because I lay still and did not cry, my Lord Chancellor and Master Rich took pains to rack me with their own hands till I was nigh dead.” I mean, talk about strength!
I have to take a minute to talk about the love story. Prisoner Alice Tankerville, the so-called murderer and thief, attempted to escape her fate, unlike any woman had before. How did she try it, you ask? Well Alice was not like other girls, and the guard John Bawde saw that. He soon fell in love with her mischievous and alluring demeanor and abandoned his duties to help her escape. She was just a girl living in captivity, you know? Together, they attempted to escape from the tower to a waiting boat, but were unfortunately caught. And unfortunately murdered. What if a little torture and execution is just the friends we made along the way? Like the pirate she was, she was hung “upon Thames at low water mark in chains.” Hopefully, she got her gold crowns in the afterlife. If I were to write this love story into a screenplay, I would try to get Kiera Knightley to play Alice.
Going upstairs in the Beauchamp Tower was super cool as well, (although I would break my leg just to use an elevator for once.) It was interesting to see the etchings on the wall from the prisoners held in that room—it seemed like a window into their trapped mind. There was one prisoner who was so fed up with it all, that he just wrote how many years, months and days his prison sentences was. I think I would get pretty irritated if all the entertainment I had was to carve in a wall. Some of the writing and carvings were actually really beautiful, which saddens me to know that creative talent was wasted for years and years inside of that room.
I really loved the experience though and the pictures I got will be cherished forever. Now, does anyone know where I can buy a cool sword? Preferably a light one, please.
Cheerio!
xoxo Gossip Girl
Theatre in London U of A 