The Tower of London
Founded nearly a millennium ago, The Tower of London has traveled through tough British history starting with the ruler, William the Conqueror, “at the beginning of the 11th century,” (Tower of London). Being expanded by different kings and queens, the tower’s structure has been added to many times, from its start as just a temporary wooden building. Why was the Tower of London so important? It enforced the power of kings and queens, from the time after William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings in 1066 till today, as a museum of the past. The tower had many different uses and housed many different people from royals, to prisoners. As an important monument in central London, the Tower of London, constructed over a large time period, has touched several aspects of British history throughout many years, as historical events occurred involving prisoners, monarchs, and ghosts.
The Tower was a large construction project enforced by different rulers, building tower after tower (21 in total), “and finally encircling it with a moat whose water was delivered by the Thames River,” (McGillick). Original functions of the Tower included “acting as a royal power base, being a place where an army could be housed and a place that can protect London from invasions, and also is a source of protection for the Royal family during chaos,” (Alchin).
The expansion of the Tower of London to 18 acres led to additional functions like an area that houses the Royals, has a prison, and also a place that holds trials and executions. Some towers within the Tower of London include The White, The Bloody, Beauchamp, Bell, Bowyer, Brick, Broad Arrow, Byward, Constable, Cradle, Develin, Deveraux, Flint, Lanthorn, Martin, Middle, St. Thoma...
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...s. On the last day the doors, for the third time, opened again. However, no figure showed up to close the doors afterwards.
After researching and learning about the Tower of London, I’ve realized how great of an impact it has on British history. Writing this paper has opened my eyes to a larger world, and shows me how deep history really goes. The people that impacted the Tower, and the events that occurred within the Tower, are what makes the Tower grand and strong, with thousands of tales being passed on from generation to generation of the dramatic experiences they have had while in the tower. Therefor the walls of the tower of London hold within them secrets of history, which has changed not only England but the whole world as well. If only these walls could talk, they could tell us the truth behind the history and tales that occurred within the Tower of London.
With the Pantheon being built over 1700 years ago, it’s amazing that architects are still using features and techniques from this work of architecture in modern creations. The use of this type of classical architecture will continue to be used in works for public space due to its remarkable exterior appearance and it’s long lasting structural durability. When both Jesse hall and the Pantheon are compared it is possible to see their similarities from the types of domes that top each, their external facades, and their interior plan. While they share many similarities, the differences that Bell and Binder used in their creation make this work of architecture unique to many other public spaces.
For many the Cathedral is seen to indicate the grandeur and control of the Normans, who were able to build such monuments to their power despite having only recently conquered England. The precarious situation of being an recently instated alien power was even more pronounced in the north, where even the Anglo Saxon Kings had only had a superficial hold, arguably making the construction of Durham “one of the greatest Anglo-Norman achievements”. This so-called achievement is not restricted to architecture but also refers to the political developments which enabled the Normans to apparently gain enough control to do this within 30 years. However the study of Durham Cathedral alone cannot suffice to give a satisfactory outline of Norman politics and the achievements in Durham and must be put into the context of the region. Hence Durham Cathedral and all its powerful connotations can be argued to only be an anomaly to the reality of Norman England and its politics.
We remember William of Normandy as a conquering hero. Truly one of the great warrior's of all time. But its is his patronage that still can be viewed in the twentieth century. The churches of St. Etienne and La Trinite as well as the tower of London, are medieval architectural models. All three buildings have a wealth of documentation surrounding them.
When you first see the house it is obvious the tower is by far the oldest section. You can also see where windows and doors have been blocked up. There is a distinct difference in the stones or the tower and those of the rest of the house but it has only recently been authenticated that the tower does indeed date back to Llewelyn’s time. Shortly after moving in the Gibsons noticed a hollow sound in a part of the living room floor. Pulling up floorboards they quickly discovered secret stairways, hidden rooms, hollow walls, tunnels, tales of princes and prisoners, lovers and war. As Kathryn Gibson says "We live in the middle of a giant historical jigsaw puzzle." In fact Pen y Bryn is the lost palace of the Princes Llywelyn, Llywelyn Fawr (the Great) and his grandson, Llywelyn the Last, dating back to 1211. It is where Joan, King John’s daughter and wife of Llywelyn Fawr lived and died, and it holds the key to the tragic story of Gwenllian, the first and last true born Princess of Wales. Gwenllian was the only daughter of Llywelyn the Last. Llewelyn had reluctantly been granted the title of "Prince of Wales" in perpetuity by the English crown at the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267.
Burke, John. Life in the Castle in Medieval England. New York: British Heritage Press, 1983. Print.
Though most castles that people see today are from the post classical era, circa 500-1450, the history of castles co...
Architects of the Elizabethan era designed many amazingly beautiful buildings and structures. Elizabethan architecture went further than just what the architects told the builders to do and the builders are given far less credit than they deserve. They carved out amazingly intricate designs into the wood and stone of these buildings, they poured their souls into their work and were still forgotten because what are they but some random members of the lower class. Elizabethan architecture has more to it than just looks, the structures were built to last luxuriously and each has a history going back before the day they laid the foundation. The architecture descends from the Tudor Style while also admiring Greek and Roman architecture and contained many influences from when England invaded India.
completed in 1932, has a central tower that rises 400 feet (120 meters) from a
"A History of Norwich Castle." Norfolk Museums Service -. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
This essay is written about St Paul’s Cathedral which is located in London. I will discuss the fire that destroyed the original building in September 1966, how the building was restored, and the main functions of the cathedral and the interiors of the dome of the Chapel.
A few key questions being asked in this examination of Kenwood are: why has this building been extensively written about? And, what are the influencing factors on its importance of inclusion at several points in the historical record? It is my opinion that Kenwood House gains and keeps its stature and relevance in architecture, through its association with a few key noteworthy and influential figures. Without the role of the first Earl of Mansfield, or the first Earl of Iveagh, Kenwood would have never became noteworthy, or would have suffered and decayed at the expense of time. It is an important building today as much for who owned it and lived there, as it is for any one architectural reason.
The theory of cultural diamond comes from the components of different culture and societies. Culture comes in forms of national customs, variations of symbolic meanings and other forms. A society is the mass of people living together in a more or less ordered community. Together these two helps to form the building blocks of the idea of the cultural diamond, which helps others understand the significance of simple objects and ideas.
The variety of articles, books and opinions pertaining to the New Palace of Westminster were quite interesting. While it is well known that there is confusion around the roles and work of Barry and Pugin on this famous piece of architecture, the range of opinions and there supporting resources were intriguing. Robert Dell published an article filled with supporting resources that really supported the fact that A.W.N. Pugin was the “true” architect for the Houses of Parliament while Roland Quinault defended quite the opposite, barely mentioning Pugin in his work. The book titled the The New Palace of Westminster provides a very different description of the building and its history than The History of Parliament organization article on the New Palace of Westminster.
The first castles built (Motte and Bailey) were made of wood and quick to build, but they were burnt and worn down easily, so the next castles were made of stone. (Square keeps) They were tall, strong, large and lasted long, but attackers would surround the castle and wait for ages for the people inside to come out. The third castles (Shell Keeps) were even stronger, but because they were made of heavy stone, they might collapse. So finally, the fourth castles (concentric) were built and they were the strongest, largest most defensive and most expensive castles built.
The tower of Pisa is a well known masterpiece of architecture and it is considered the crowning glory of Pizza. It is the tallest building structure in the whole of Europe and a real example of the medieval engineering . The tower of Pisa is also known as the bell tower and it is a part of a big complex that includes four important buildings. The tower was built by Guglielmo and the sculptor Bonanno and the tower was made of some storeys and its final point is the bell. The purpose behind building the tower was to use it for gravity experiments. In addition , people of the city wished to display how wealthy and prosperous they were. The construction of the tower began in 1172 and it was constructed in the city of Pisa. It took 234 years to build this tower as it was built in three stages. It is known as the leaning tower of Pisa because of the leaning of its foundation and every year the leaning of the tower increases for some inches. The exact cost of constructing the tower is not known because the tower was built over some stages. However, it is estimated to be very high.