The Tower of London

The history of the Tower of London is so closely bound up with thehistory of England, from the Norman Conquest onwards, that it is verydifficult to write a record of the one without appearing to haveattempted to write a record of the other. A full history of the Towermay read like an attenuated history of England. When the problem has tobe solved within the compass of a single chapter the difficulties arevery considerably increased. Then again, if a detailed account of Towerannals has...
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The history of the Tower of London is so closely bound up with thehistory of England, from the Norman Conquest onwards, that it is verydifficult to write a record of the one without appearing to haveattempted to write a record of the other. A full history of the Towermay read like an attenuated history of England. When the problem has tobe solved within the compass of a single chapter the difficulties arevery considerably increased. Then again, if a detailed account of Towerannals has been given in a preliminary chapter, there is nothing of anyinterest left to say when describing a visit to the several buildingswithin the Tower walls. If the dramatic scene in the Council Chamber ofthe White Tower, which ended in Lord Hastings being sent, with scantceremony, to the block on the Green below by Richard III., be describedin its proper place in the Historical Sketch (Chapter II.) it cannotagain be spoken of in detail when the visit is paid (Chapter III.) tothe room in which the event took place. Yet it is beyond doubt that avisitor to the Tower would rather be reminded of that tragic Councilmeeting when in the Council Chamber itself, than come upon it in thecourse of the sketch of Tower history, which he would probably have readat home beforehand and forgotten in detail. Still, those who read thisbook and have no opportunity of visiting the Tower expect that thecharacters in the moving drama of its history shall have some semblanceof life as they walk across the stage. Such a reader demands more thanmere names and dates, or he will skip an historical chapter as beingintolerably dull. It is no consolation to him to be told that if he willtake patience and walk through and round the Tower, in imagination, bykeeping his temper and kindly reading Chapters III. and IV., he willdiscover that much of the human interest omitted in the "history" willbe found by the wayside in the "walks."