“My prisoner, or my guest?” (from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale)

When visiting the Tower of London, with its thick walls and spiral staircases, it’s easy to pretend that you are in a castle. We met our guide, Chris, early this morning to get started before the Yeoman Warders began the day’s tours.

The Tower of London is actually made up of many towers. The White Tower was the first and it stands in the center of the fortress. I was surprised to find out that the Tower of London has about 1000 years of history. Coming from the United States, it is sometimes difficult to imagine buildings that old. It made me think about how young America is and that our history is really just beginning.

Each tower and building has its own story. We learned why the Tower of London is so important to the history of the monarchy, including the kings and queens of Shakespeare’s lifetime and those in his plays. For example, if you are familiar with Shakespeare’s play Richard III, you know how the Bloody Tower got its name. It’s a particularly gruesome tale that is explained in our video.

I also learned some people think that the Tower of London is haunted. The most famous ghost sighting is Anne Boleyn, who was executed on Tower Green.

After learning about the history of the Tower of London, it’s hard to believe that we didn’t see ghosts or hear any spooky sounds. Buildings as old as these often have interesting stories, even if they aren’t always true.

Clink Prison Museum: Next, we headed to Southwark to learn about crime and punishment at Clink Prison Museum.

In Shakespeare’s day, people were chained to walls, begged for food, and were kept beneath the streets of Southwark. During Shakespeare’s time, Southwark was an exciting yet dangerous place. Bear baiting was popular entertainment, criminals and river pirates roamed, and theatres like the Globe and the Swan were main attractions.

We met with James, the Museum Director, after the Clink Prison Museum was closed for the day. It was damp and cold inside and made me consider how cold it must have been for the prisoners kept here. What surprised me most were the crimes that landed people in jail. I was shocked to hear how many people were imprisoned for their religious beliefs or for being recusants.

Today, prisoners are usually taken care of in a much more civilized way, with confinement from the outside world being punishment enough.

Who’s Hungry: Let’s Eat!

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