Sir Walter Raleigh’s study, within the Bloody Tower at the Tower of London, first struck me as a bit grim for the child in queue ahead of me. It was a gloomy little study, with projections depicting a beheading. There were shrieking winds and a final *Thud* as the axe fell down and the scene blew away in the wind. And then the kid just moved on. So I did too.
Sir Raleigh spent 13 years cooped up in that tower, but I only spent a handful of minutes. Between the many guests at the tower of London, we’ve probably spent far longer than 13 years. That kid, who was walking ahead of me during my visit? He absolutely zipped through, and I didn’t even see him in the garden section.
The garden was where my mind on the exhibit turned, and I began to really vibe with Raleigh’s story. He was cooped up, but not inactive: he spent his time in the tower producing remedy elixirs using ingredients from his travels. Tales of alchemy and alembics always interest me, but his held a special, non-fantastical relevance to me in that moment. I’ve spent some time locked away, with my family, and a garden keeping me sane, too.
My journey of creation during Covid was in the decorating of my walls with origami flowers. I made dozens, and tacked them to the walls along with lights and polyester clouds. Being stuck inside motivated the prisoners of Beauchamp Tower to do something similar. They carved markings into the stone walls. This act was a way of alleviating boredom, and of making a mark on the world even when no other options remained. I find that, and Sir Walter Raleigh’s similar works, to be inspiring.
Theatre in London U of A 