Experience The Tower Of London: Souvenir Guidebook

by Brett Dolman

Royal palace, fortress, prison and place of execution; arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house - for over 900 years the Tower of London has served all these purposes. In this lavishly illustrated 72-page guide you're invited to explore this formidable citadel as it was and is now.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Guidebook, Politics, Historical

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Brett Dolman is an historian and art historian, specialising in the material culture and political history of the English court from the 16th to the 18th centuries. He is Curator of Collections at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Hampton Court, and has curated exhibitions there on Henry VIII, Tudor portraiture, Shakespeare at the court of James I, and, most recently, ‘The Wild, the Beautiful and the Damned’ – an exploration of beauty and debauchery at the late Stuart court told through the portraits and personalities that enlivened the late 17th century. Brett has also written and published on these themes, on the wider history of royal palaces, and specifically on the decorative painting of the Baroque period that covered the walls and ceilings of grand houses with fabulous tails of gods and goddesses and self-important statements of triumphal power.

Reviews

[XJ Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have visited the Tower of London twice, once in 2016 and once in 2019. I cannot remember when exactly I bought this guidebook, but reading it brought back memories of these visits. I recall fondly the excellent talk given by a Yeoman Warder, the magnificent exhibition of the Crown Jewels and the delicate Queen Mary’s Doll House. The tower is definitely worth visiting and this guidebook is also a great source of many interesting facts about the tower.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to read this book before visiting The Tower.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars

2nd buy out of the four books. So this was one I brought because although history is my passion, it lies with the people, their dress, their way of living, the marriages and the births and the deaths and so forth. Not so much the historical buildings, which why this had to come home with me. I learnt an awful lot regarding the history and the making of the Tower of London, the halls, traitors gate, the deaths that were held there e.t.c
I hadn't known that the buildings of the place had started as early as it did, and it took hundreds of years to build it to the structure that we know today which is pretty impressive considering the times it was built and expanded. Overall a very knowledge guidebook which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the tower of London.

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sold in the local gift shops, this is an excellent short overview of the buildings and history of the Tower of London, the people who lived there (some still do!), who were imprisoned and executed. The drawings and illustrations, especially of what was built when, are fascinating. The photographs, some of areas where tourists are not permitted, or are not allowed to take photos, also fascinating.

If you're looking for an exhaustive volume, this isn't it (72 pages); this is bigger than a brochure, smaller than a breadbox (do the English have breadboxes?), but I enjoyed it, post-visit, and wish I'd had it on hand to familiarize myself with, pre-visit.

[Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a souvenir guidebook that I bought at the Welcome Center for the Tower of London. I have read many books about the history of the English monarchy from William the Conqueror (1066 A.D.) through the House of Stewart (1702 A.D.). The Tower of London figures prominently in that history from the beginning, as a royal residence and a prison for political enemies of the monarch. Sometimes a political enemy got out and became the monarch. This book serves as a tour guide for the castle and it relates the history that took place within its walls. If I have a chance to visit the Tower again, I will understand the site much better having read this book.

[Nada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this before I visited the Tower of London! It was informative and a value added feature of the Tower of London experience. This book provides a good introduction to the significance of this historic landmark and it is well with reading in advance if possible in order to better appreciate the visit.

[Sara Kellogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it to see what I missed on the tour and to find out if I would like to read a larger work on the Tower. Yes, ohhh yes. I will read more. I finally saw the Tower on my honeymoon. We spent the day at the Tower and on the grounds. It is the most fascinating place in the world to me. Spending 8 hours only increased my interest. This is a good primer on what to expect in other works.

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvelous short book about the story of the tower from its construction, development, funny and gruesome facts, facilities, personnel, etc. Its pages are filled with lots of information, that took me by surprise because it’s also filled with beautiful pictures and illustrations.

[Matt Boak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great informative guidebook on the Tower of London. Really well laid out, detailing the history and development of the site before dipping into specific areas, stories and characters of note. Well worth a read for anyone visiting or with an interest in the building and its history

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I just wish there was a bit more in here. A lot of it I knew from just reading some of the plaques at the Tower. Still a good souvenir purchase though.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was clearly written and summarized the uses and exhibits in this very historic building complex.

[Kim Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only gave 3 stars due to it being a short book so unable to go into more depth on the topics, but a good companion to what you might find on the display boards in the Tower.

[David Fulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guidebook to the history and architecture of the Tower of London.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect guide book for a magnificent historic location

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the tourist guide they sell at the ticket booth at the Tower of London, so it has a nice map and lots of lovely illustrations. It could have done with a little more history. My American daughter didn't know anything about who lived in London before William the Conqueror came -- to say nothing of who William was.

The best parts were the guest essays by the Yeoman Warder (although again some history would have been nice) and Terry Jones's explanation of medieval life. Wish there had been another essay about the Chapel Royal and its former churchyard because I have more questions than a paragraph could answer.

Still, as a souvenir, this book is lovely. It refers to a number of things that either we missed or weren't open when we visited, so clearly another trip is called for. I may need to step up my research sources, too.

[Tara van Beurden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another tourist book (I read a whole stack of these before I packed my shipping boxes up to leave for Australia). This one is about the Tower of London, which is pretty much favourite touristy spot in all of London (I am a massive fan of the Tudors, in particular, Henry VIII). This book talks about the history of this very famous site, some of the significant deaths that have happened there, the mysteries of the tower, and the very famous Beefeaters. Always enjoyable to read about this very significant place.

[Valerie J K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tower of London was one of the most fascinating places I saw on my recent trip to London. I brought back this book so my kids could read about it, but I really enjoyed reading it myself. It tells of the history of the tower: it's building in the 1070's by William the Conqueror (built on Roman ruins from AD 200), the medieval era, the prisoners and executions that took place here, the crown jewels, the royal families who spent time here, and more.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great companion guidebook to the Tower of London. I spent a day at the Tower of London absorbing as much information as possible. It was great to be able to read this after my visit and learn even more stories and history behind this infamous building. Highly recommended for history fans who visit the Tower of London.

[Jovy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love London...it's been about 4 years now since my last visit...it's one of my favorite cities! And the Tower of London is one if my favorite sites! Of course, the Crowned Jewels are kept there, very fascinating! Can't wait to go back...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to the Tower of London in May and it was absolutely amazing! There is so much history there and this book offered fun trivia and a good summary of the history of the tower.

[Joanna Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read for those who like the tower of London

[Catherine McClelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative! Wish I'd read it before seeing the Tower of London. Now I need to go back!