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- The Royal Connection
- The City of London Eats
- Owlbut's Birdwatch
- City of London VIPs
The building of the Tower of
London was ordered by William the Conqueror some time in the 1070s. He was worried about rebellions and wanted a massive fortress in the centre of London.
The building took 20 years and wasn't finished until after William's death, which happened in 1087. Since then the Tower and surrounding buildings have had
many Royal connections.
It has been used as a prison. Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes and many others were held there. It was where the two princes, Edward
and Richard, disappeared in 1483, never to be seen again. Between the end of the 13th century until 1810 all coins of the realm were made there.
Nowadays the Tower is home to the Crown Jewels, which you can go and visit, and is guarded by the Yeomen of the Guard, popularly called the
Beefeaters, who also conduct guided tours of the Tower and are very entertaining. I visited in 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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The City of London is too small to have
any specific food.
The raven is the biggest member of the crow family. It is in fact a massive bird. It is all black with a large, chunky,
medium-length beak and black legs. It has long wings and, when flying, shows a diamond-shaped tail.
Ravens breed mainly in the north and west of England and can be best looked for in the upland areas of south west England, the north Pennines
and the Lake District and, hopefully if you read our story above, still at the Tower of London. There are estimated to be 7,400 breeding pairs in the UK.
Ravens eat mammals, birds, eggs, insects and other invertebrates. They also feed on carrion, which is the flesh of dead animals.
Ravens are between 60 to 68 cms in length, have a wingspan of between 120 and 150 cms and weigh between 800 grams and 1½ kilograms.
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The City of London is too small to have had any notable births in the last 100 years.
