St. Thomas tower...Day 5U

 

St. Thomas Tower is the square tower furthest to the right with the stairs leading up to it.

 A need arose for an entrance from the Thames River directly to the Tower; thus was built Traitor's Gate and the tower above it, which were to be royal quarters. The tower was named after the martyred Thomas Becket, about a century after his death. And about three centuries after that, St. Thomas Tower was refurbished during the era of King Henry VIII for use as royal quarters and, if necessary, for detaining highborn "traitors." It was seriously dangerous to have religious convictions at variance with the king's beliefs or to be married to to this particular king.

My version of the Cliff's Notes on Thomas Becket: In the late 1100's, Becket was appointed by King Henry II to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry thought this appointment would ensure that Becket would approve of his plans to limit clerical power as well as to lessen the influence of Rome. Becket didn't approve and excommunicated several clergymen who endorsed the King's intentions. In a flash of rage, Henry shouted something to the effect of  "Is there no one who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" Several knights took him at his word and assassinated Becket in his very own cathedral. 

St. Thomas Tower

To the right you can see a bit of the arch that is above Traitor's Gate.

Inside St. Thomas Tower

Traitor's Gate from the outside...

Traitor's Gate from the inside

                                          
                                              And, of course, a close-up of the gate itself...
        And those little spiky things which probably have a special name but I don't know what it is...