Tower of London – A New Permanent Exhibition

Tower of London – A New Exhibition Explores  The Building’s History:

Tower of London - Courtesy VisitBritain

Having once served as a fortress, a palace, a prison, a base for royal power and now home to the Crown Jewels, the Tower of London is a building with a remarkable history. For over 900 years, it has been home to many British institutions, making it a building of great importance.  These days, the Tower is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions.

The Power House Exhibition

Being close to the seat of royal power at Westminster, the Tower became England’s ultimate Power House. The functions it housed were vital to whether successive monarchs kept or lost control of the kingdom.  ‘Power House’, a new permanent exhibition, opening in April, explores the Tower of London’s remarkable history and the roles it played in British history.

Historic British institutions associated with the Tower of London include the Royal Armouries, the Ordnance Office, the Royal Mint, the Record Office, the Jewel House, the Menagerie and the Royal Observatory. Power House will uncover the stories and personalities behind these major organisations of state, who took care of royal business from within the Tower’s walls from 1100 to the present day.

The exhibition also looks at how the Tower of London has served as a royal residence and a state prison.

The Royal Armouries has commissioned a three-metre high dragon to stand at the entrance to the exhibition. It will be made up of components from each of the major institutions of state. The design is still being finalised but it is hoped that the artwork will include armour, swords, firearms and cannon representing the Ordnance Office, coins from the Royal Mint, parchments and maps representing the Records Office and Ordnance Survey and its tail will be made of chains recalling how the Tower was a prison.

Power House, opens on April 2nd, 2011 and is being organised in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London.

The Tower is open 9:00– 16:30 Tue–Sat and 10:00 – 16:30 Sun–Mon.  Admission £18.70 (£16 online), under-16s £10.45 (£9), students and over-60s £15.95 (£13.50), family ticket £51.70 (£44), under-5s free. Entry to the Royal Armouries, Britain’s oldest museum, located in the White Tower, is included in the admission price.

Address:

The Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
Tel: +44 20 3166 6000
Websites: www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon
www.royalarmouries.org

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