Authorised Guide to the Tower of LondonLoftie, W. J. (William John)
History
Authorised Guide to the Tower of London
Loftie, W. J. (William John)
Tower of London (London, England) -- Guidebooks
made, and this includes the armour and arms at Greenwich, and arms and
artillery at the Tower of London which, from the time of Henry VIII, was
one of the sights for foreigners of distinction. In the troubles of the
Civil War the arms were drawn out, and there is no doubt much, both of
arms and armour, was used and lost. The Protector took one suit, and it
was not till 1660 that the armour, which had meanwhile been brought to
London, was collected, and, with the weapons still in the store, were
formed into a kind of museum. It is to that period that may be traced
most of the grotesque stories associated with the collection. At various
subsequent periods additions were made to the collection, and it was
arranged in such manner as suited the knowledge of the day. Series of
figures of kings of England and famous persons were made and added to or
changed on the death of the sovereign. In later times the whole has been
arranged by Sir Samuel Meyrick. Mr. Hewitt, and Mr. Planché, and in 1859
Mr. Hewitt drew up the first catalogue of the contents.
The mounted figures from 1826 till 1883 stood in a long gallery
adjoining the south side of the Tower, but at the latter date this was
pulled down, and the figures removed to the top floor. Within the last
few years the floor below has been used for the later arms, but the
lighting of the rooms and their shape, with various other causes,
prevent any strictly chronological arrangements of the collection,
many objects of which also belong to long periods of time.
The arms and armour are now placed on the two upper floors of the White
Tower, the earlier weapons and all the armour, being on the top floor,
while the later weapons and the Indian arms and armour, with various
personal relics, are placed on what is the third stage or second floor.
To this the visitor ascends by a circular staircase in the south front
of the Tower. At the foot observe a brass plate recording the finding in
1674 of the supposed remains of the "Princes in the Tower," Edward V and
his brother Richard Duke of York. The visitor then enters the Chapel of
St. John, and on leaving passes into the smaller of the two rooms on
this floor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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