The Tower of London
Discover hidden masterpieces and moving stories from London's most infamous site.
In collaboration with
The 'Nine Day Queen'
Meet one of England's most famous Queens
Mourning figure
Two women attendents weep as they learn of Jane's imminent death.
John Feckenham
It is believed this figure is John Feckenham, confessor to Mary I, and he may have been trying to convert Jane to catholicism and save her life
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen on the death of Edward VI in July 1553. Jane's 'reign' lasted only nine days before she was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London by the more powerful backers of Mary, crowned as Mary I in October. Jane's youth spared her life until her father's involvement in a failed rebellion and she was executed in February 1554 aged only 17.
Painting the political
Explore paintings held at the Tower of London
History & Myth
How 19th-century art has shaped our views of people and events in royal history
Six sights you mustn't miss
Explore some of the iconic sites at the Tower of London
London's secret angel
Discover one of London's rarest artworks
John the Baptist
The first figure on the left is Saint John the Baptist, who is pointing at the tiny Lamb. St John was a patron saint of Richard II and had a special significance for the King
The Virgin Mary
In the centre is the Virgin Mary which would have flanked a lost depiction of the Christ on the Cross.
John the Evangelist
Here is Saint John the Evangelist, also a part of this 'Crucifixion' scene.
The Byward Angel
St Michael the Archangel holds a giant set of gold scales to weigh the souls of the dead. Christians believe this will take place at the Last Judgement to determine who will go to heaven or hell.
The Tudor Rose
A wall painting with a Tudor rose, half of which still survives, is painted on the chimney breast.
Explore the Byward Angel
View AllShakespeare's tower
Discover how Shakespeare's Richard III influenced the history of the Tower
The Tower on canvas
A view of the Tower of London from the south, over the River Thames, showing distant figures on the Tower wharf, and a large British naval frigate with other boats on the river.
A London icon
By this time, the interior of the fortress and the eastern end of the wharf, had been progressively filled by industrial, storage, administrative and barracks buildings, and had become the home of various institutions including the Royal Mint, Royal Armouries, Board of Ordnance, Jewel House, Royal Observatory and Tower Record Office.
A lively area
The main riverside buildings of the Tower at this date can be identified (from west to east): the Byward Tower, Queen's Stairs, Queen's House, St Thomas's Tower and Traitors' Gate, and the Lanthorn, Cradle, Well and Develin Towers.
A monument on paper
These drawings tell the story of the Tower's development
The Gunpowder Plot
This monument in the Council Chamber of the King’s House at the Tower of London is a unique reminder of one of the most notorious events in British history; the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
A unique work
Made of pink and black marbles and alabaster, this monument appears, at first glance, to be a fireplace overmantel or a funerary monument. It is, of course, neither but the unnamed stonemason who made it had no other precedent to follow for designing such a unique monument.
Praising the King
In the oval panels Latin texts praise the King and his family, extoll the virtues of the Privy Councillors who foiled the Plot, and condemn the wickedness of the plotters, whose names are listed.
Protestant opposition
A passage in Hebrew in the lower left oval quotes the Old Testament; 'He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death' (Job xii.22). The choice to use Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, for this particularly apt text is a reflection of Protestant opposition to the Latin translations used in the Roman Catholic church.
A thwarted plot
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