Castle royal palace prison torture chamber execution site zoo mint treasure house armoury record office observatory & the most visited tourist attraction in the country the Tower of London has been all these things & more. No building in Britain has been more intimately involved in our islands story than this mighty brooding stronghold in the very heart of the capital a place which has stood at the epicentre of dramatic bloody & frequently cruel events for almost a thousand years. Now historian Nigel Jones sets this dramatic story firmly in the context of national
- & international
- events. In a monumental history drawn from primary sources he pictures the Tower in its many changing moods & a bewildering array of functions. Here for the first time is a thematic portrayal of the Tower of London as more than an ancient structure. The fortress is a living symbol of the nation itself in all its kaleidoscopic colour & rich diversity. Incorporating a dazzling panoply of political & social detail Tower" puts one of Britains most important buildings firmly at the heart of our national story."