From one of these windows Lady Jane Grey saw her
husband's headless body brought in from Tower Hill, by the route we now
traverse; and the leads are still called Queen Elizabeth's Walk, as she
used them during her captivity in 1554.
_The Lion Tower_
stood where the Ticket Office and Refreshment Room are now. Here the
visitor obtains a pass which admits him to see the Regalia, or Crown
Jewels, and another for the Armoury. In the Middle Ages and down to 1834
the Royal Menagerie was lodged in a number of small buildings near the
Lion Tower, whence its name was derived and the saying arose, "seeing
the lions," for a visit to the Tower. Where the wooden gate now stands,
there was a small work called the Conning Gate. It marked the boundaries
of Middlesex and the Tower Precinct. Here prisoners were handed over to
the Sheriff.
_The Middle Tower_ (Pl. I)
was originally built by Henry III, but has been entirely refaced.
Through its archway we reach the stone bridge, which had formerly in the
centre a drawbridge of wood. We next reach
_The Byward Tower_ (Pl. II),
the great Gatehouse of the Outer Ward. It is in part the work of Henry
III, and in part that of Richard II. Observe the vaulting and the dark
recesses on the southern side. We pass on the left
_The Bell Tower_ (Pl. IX),
which may safely be attributed to the reign of King John. Here Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester, was imprisoned by Henry VIII, and the Princess
Elizabeth by her sister, Queen Mary.
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