Image Courtesy of WalkDevour
VIP Tower of London: After Hours Tour with Beefeater & Ceremony of the Keys
Once the gates close and the last visitor leaves, the Tower of London becomes a completely different place, and almost no one gets to see it… unless you book on to this unique after-hours tour.
Leading you past the Traitor’s Gate that prisoners used to cross on their way to execution, and into the small chapel where Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey are buried, is a Yeoman Warder. That is the official name for the Beefeaters who have guarded the Tower for nearly 1,000 years.
Here, they’ll tell you ALL the stories about how the Tower wasn’t even built to be a prison, why lions and elephants once lived on the grounds, and how it ended up guarding the Crown Jewels in the first place. One thing worth noting: this tour covers the grounds only, not the buildings or the Jewels themselves, so the focus stays entirely on the stories and atmosphere of being there after dark.
The pièce de résistance of the night? The Ceremony of the Keys, the oldest unbroken military ceremony in the world. It’s been performed exactly the same way, every single night, since the 1340s, and you’ll be standing right there as the Yeoman Warders lock the Tower for the evening. So, it’s fair to say this tour is not something you’ll find ANYWHERE else.
