The Tower of London is the oldest palace, fortress and prison in Europe.  It was created by William the Conqueror, roughly in 1078 and remained virtually unchanged for over a century.  Then between 1190 and 1285, the Tower was encircled by walls and a great moat.  Today, the Tower of London is essentially a complex made up of many different sections.  The original building is called the White Tower, and it is this structure which has given its name to the entire complex - the Tower of London. 

The White Tower has been the seat of British government and the living quarter of monarchs - the site of renown political intrigue, and the repository of the Crown Jewels.  It has housed lions, bears, and ravens (today), not to mention notorious traitors and famous members of court.

The structure is 90 feet high and is of massive construction, the walls varying from 15 feet thickness at the base to almost 11 feet in the upper parts.  Above the battlements rise four turrets; three of them are square, and one is circular.  The circular turret once contained the first royal observatory.  The original single entrance was on the south side and it was reached by an external staircase.  There were no doors at ground level.  The moat was drained in 1830 and many human bones were found. 

In 1603, part of the Tower of London became a museum when King James I ordered that the royal jewels be kept in the Tower and open to the public.  They remain on view today in the complex in heavilly guarded vaults below ground.  The White Tower houses exhibitions from the Royal Armouries collection.

The tower owes it's name to Henry III who had the outside of the building whitewashed in the 13th century.