Dan Snow’s History Hit: The Tower of London

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dan Snow takes listeners on an evocative, in-depth journey through the history, myths, and enduring significance of the Tower of London. Joined by medieval historian Matt Lewis and Charles Ferris (curator of the Medieval Palace Exhibition), the episode traces the Tower’s evolution: from a monumental assertion of Norman power, to a royal palace and fortress, through its years as a prison, mint, arsenal, menagerie, and tourist icon. Together, Snow and his guests unearth the Tower’s layered stories, its famous (and infamous) prisoners, its architecture, and its roles in major moments of English history.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Origins and Strategic Purpose of the Tower

• The Tower was built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s after his conquest of England, as both a statement of Norman dominance and a defensive stronghold. The very stone was imported from Normandy.

  • “It was a massive statement of Norman insecurity, but also ambition. Even much of the rock itself was transported from Normandy to build this huge tower.” (Dan Snow, 03:44)

• London was an important, but notoriously anti-Norman city. The Tower’s location on the southeastern edge allowed Norman control of river access and quick evacuation if needed.

  • “It’s a power move, isn’t it? … He’s essentially taking control of the entrance to the City of London.” (Matt Lewis, 08:43)

2. Roman Roots and Evolution of London

• The site had Roman origins; Normans were adept at reusing Roman fortifications.

  • “The Romans were great at finding a good spot for something, right? … So the Normans simply repurposed what was already there.” (Matt Lewis, 06:52)

• Winchester was historically the seat, but London grew in political power due to its strategic river placement and trade access.

  • “Winchester had been really the center of authority in Anglo Saxon England… but by the time William the Conqueror comes, [London] is seen as the seat of government.” (Matt Lewis, 09:12)

3. Medieval Expansion and Royal Power Plays

• Major expansions occurred under Henry III and Edward I in the 13th century, reflecting both practical needs (fear of rebellion) and symbolic ones (monumental assertion of royal power).

  • “Henry III, when he builds the Wakefield Tower and the associated royal apartments earlier in the 1200s, they would have then been on the river—so that would have been a great statement of royal power, too.” (Charles Ferris, 15:18)

• The Tower became a concentric fortress, with multiple defensive walls, moats, and the White Tower at its core.

• The moat was both a defense feature and source of fish, though not always effective for flooding.

  • “He fills in his father’s moat because that never actually flooded properly. So he fills in the moat, expands the tower out into the river, adds his own moat as well...” (Charles Ferris, 15:56)

• The royal apartments were lavish, colorful, and intended to overawe both nobles and foreign visitors.

  • “They would have been bright, they would have been beautifully decorated, and if you’re the king or queen, they would have been extremely comfortable.” (Charles Ferris, 19:26)

4. As Fortress and Symbol: Defending London

• The Tower was rarely genuinely besieged; its defensive innovations excelled, only being truly breached by the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381—likely due to inside help.
  • “It gets broken into during the Peasants Revolt in 1381, but there’s a strong suspicion there that the guards have probably let them in...” (Matt Lewis, 23:41)
  • “It’s held up as the only time the Tower is breached. But I’d question whether it was even actually really breached then…” (Matt Lewis, 24:42)

5. Multiple Roles: Mint, Arsenal, Menagerie, and More

• Beyond being a royal residence, the Tower also served as the royal mint, armory, and zoo.
  • “There is a mint there... There’s also an arsenal in there... it’s also been a royal menagerie, so a zoo. So from King John’s reign he starts keeping animals there…” (Matt Lewis, 26:37)
  • Colorful tales include Henry III’s elephant and polar bear, and the ongoing tradition of keeping ravens (for the myth that the Tower will fall if they leave).

6. Notorious Prisoners, Escapes, and Executions

• The Tower developed a forbidding reputation as the prison for England’s most dangerous or high-profile enemies.

• Early notable prisoners included Ranulph Flambard (who escaped after getting his jailers drunk), Roger Mortimer (similar ruse), and fatal residents like Henry VI.

  • “Ranulph Flambard throws a big party... gets all of his jailers drunk... tips over one of the barrels of wine, which has a length of rope at the bottom of it, ties it to one of the bars and lowers himself down out the window and manages to escape...” (Matt Lewis, 28:21)

• Famous executions span from royals (Henry VI, Clarence) to queens (Anne Boleyn)—her death marking the first legal execution of a noblewoman in England.

  • “The fact is that no English noblewoman has ever been executed up to this point... Anne must have felt fairly confident that her life wasn’t really in danger, because you don’t execute noble women, let alone a queen. But Henry VIII will breach that rule...” (Matt Lewis, 35:08)

7. From Royal Residence to Elite Prison

• By the Tudor period, the Tower’s role as a palace declined, increased use as a mint and as a holding place for political prisoners.
  • “The Tudor period really sees the death of the Tower as a functioning royal palace... We do see it develop more into a prison...” (Matt Lewis, 39:55)

8. Role in Early Modern and Modern History

• The Tower was key in the fates of figures like Guy Fawkes (tortured after the failed Gunpowder Plot) and Sir Walter Raleigh (wrote his history in comfortable imprisonment).

  • “He [Guy Fawkes] says, ‘I was planning to blow the Scottish King and all of his Scottish lords back to Scotland.’ It makes no secret…when he’s brought before the King.” (Matt Lewis, 41:31)
  • “Walter Raleigh had a pretty good time in the Tower… He wrote his kind of incomplete history of the world while he was there.” (Matt Lewis, 44:58)

• In the 20th century: state prisoners like Rudolf Hess, a Nazi spy executed in 1941, and (possibly) the Kray twins, postwar gangsters, marked the last chapters of the Tower’s penal use.

  • “It’s striking that even in 1941, when the government are looking for somewhere secure to keep the most important prisoner... their first thought is still the Tower of London.” (Matt Lewis, 46:16)
  • On the Krays: “It does seem like they were held in the prison for going AWOL in the Tower of London for a few days in 1952, as the last recorded prisoners to have been held there. And incredible, it would be someone like the Kray Twins.” (Matt Lewis, 47:44)

9. Today: Museum, Symbol, and Legacy

• Now the Tower is chiefly a tourist site, housing the Crown Jewels, royal memorabilia, and exhibitions. Its darker history lies just beneath the surface.
  • “You can go and look at almost a thousand years of history on the side of the River Thames. You can see prisoner graffiti in some of the towers... It really is a connection to a thousand years of history and perhaps to a thousand years of some of our darker history as well.” (Matt Lewis, 49:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the site’s legacy:
  “If you really want to capture the essence of London in one place...you’ll see one of the most magnificent castles and fortresses anywhere in Europe, the Tower of London. Londoners simply call it ‘the Tower’. This is the place where, for generations, English history was made.”
  — Dan Snow (02:00)

• On its many functions:
  “It has been a royal palace, it’s been a prison, it’s been a mint, it’s been an armory, and it’s been a zoo as well.”
  — Dan Snow (02:00)

• On the defensive design:
  “It’s designed from the 13th century onwards to be almost like the perfectly defensible castle. And you wonder what Henry III and Edward I would have made of…the only people who ever got in there were a bunch of rustics from the countryside who turned up and crashed London for a couple of days.”
  — Matt Lewis (25:49)

• On royal prisoners:
  “Clarence was executed at the Tower in 1478. He is convicted of treason for betraying Edward IV for the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh time... And a story very, very quickly springs up that he elected to be drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine.”
  — Matt Lewis (34:05)

• On Anne Boleyn:
  “Anne must have felt fairly confident that her life wasn’t really in danger, because you don’t execute noble women, let alone a queen. But Henry VIII will breach that rule...”
  — Matt Lewis (35:08)

• On the Tower’s evolution:
  “By the end of the Stuart period, we don’t have monarchs even traveling from there for their coronation anymore. So it’s slowly... being more and more abandoned by the royal family.”
  — Matt Lewis (39:55)

• On the Tower’s symbolic resonance:
  “You can go and look at almost a thousand years of history...but maybe we should give a little bit of thought to the kind of things that have gone on inside those walls in the last thousand years.”
  — Matt Lewis (49:59)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction, atmosphere, and the Tower’s context in London: 02:00–03:44
• Origins and construction under William the Conqueror: 03:44–06:52
• Role of London post-Norman conquest / Winchester vs. London: 07:21–10:19
• Medieval expansion: fortress, palace, and symbols of power: 12:04–16:40
• Moat, defenses, military and public statement: 16:23–19:26
• Decor, daily life, and color in the medieval palace: 19:26–21:16
• Tower as prison, mint, menagerie, and famous escapes: 23:33–30:07
• Prison executions and royal demise (Henry VI, Clarence, Anne Boleyn): 31:06–37:56
• Role as elite prison in Tudor and Stuart periods: 39:35–41:05
• Guy Fawkes, Raleigh, later prisoners: 41:05–45:56
• The Tower in the 20th century: Hess, Joseph Jacobs, Kray Twins: 45:56–49:46
• Modern role and conclusion: 49:46–51:06

Conclusion

Dan Snow’s tour of the Tower of London is immersive, blending lively narrative with expert insight and engaging anecdotes. The Tower emerges not simply as a static monument, but as a living palimpsest of England—a place where power, fear, splendor, cruelty, and ceremony all entwined. Its stones bear witness to a thousand years, from defiant fortification, to opulent residence, to grim prison. Whether through the ravens gliding above, the colorful medieval recreations, or the chilling tales of those who passed through its gates, the Tower remains one of history’s most potent and multifaceted icons.

Recommended Next Steps:

• "Go and see the Medieval Palace exhibition" (Dan Snow, 52:07)
• Watch the documentary Powerhouse: The Medieval Tower of London on History Hit.