The Tower of London, in central London, has a dark past. There was bloodshed, ghosts, wars, imprisonment, torture and jewels. The Towers' past may be dark and grim, but the history surrounding it is fascinating. The Tower of London is a 900 year old castle and fortress (Jarus). William the Conqueror created the first fortifications after conquering London in 1066 AD (Jarus). The Tower of London is not just a large tower; consists of 13 structures inside the fortress and 6 structures outside (McGillick). The entire fort is spread over 12 acres of land (Jarus). Outside the Tower of London there is a large moat and palisade on the north and west sides of the fortress (McGillick). There are four large turrets at the corners of the fortress. The domed shape of the turrets made it the ideal place to house the first royal observatory in one of them (McGillick). The Tower of London has a strange way of getting its name. The official name of the Tower of London is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress Tower of London (McGillick). The reason why the fortress got the name Tower of London comes from White Tower. This is a white painted tower in the center of the fortress. Its walls are 15 feet thick and 90 feet high (McGillick). The tower began as a wood and stone structure, later whitewashed by King Henry III (McGillick) (Jarus). This is why the tower is called the White Tower and the fortress is called the Tower of London. The Tower of London has been used for a wide variety of affairs. One of the coolest things it has been used for is to hold the Crown Jewels (Jarus). The estimated value of the Crown Jewels is $32 billion (25). The jewels were moved to the Tower of......middle of paper......titions. One of which involves birds. There is a flock of crows living in the tower. These ravens are cared for and protected by the guards in the tower (Jarus). King Charles II is said to have been the first to order the ravens to be cared for (Jarus). The Ravenmaster Yeoman Warder is in charge of looking after the ravens (Jarus). The reason why ravens are Works Cited Jarus, Owen. "Tower of London: Facts and History." Science live. Tech Media, January 23, 2014. Web.April 29, 2014McGillick, Kathy. “The Tower of London”. britainexpress.com. Kathy McGillick and Web. May 1, 2014. “The Screaming Lady in the Haunted Gallery.” Historic Royal Palaces. Historic Royal Palaces, nd Web. 2 May 2014. “Torture at the Tower of London”. Destinations-UK-Ireland nd Web. March 29, 2014"25 Facts About HM Tower Of London." Royalcentral.co.uk. January 13, 2013. Web. May 5 2014.