Forthcoming event
The White Tower of London
- 3 November 2026 11.00am - 3.30pm
- Tower of London, London, EC3N 4AB
- Exclusive to EAAF Members - if you're not a member and would like to attend this event Join Now.
Event Sold Out! To join the waiting list, please email info@eastangliaartfund.org.uk
A New Perspective on the White Tower of London
Join us for an exceptional visit to William of Normandy’s White Tower of London. With interest in our Norman heritage piqued by the rebirth of Norwich’s own Norman Keep we will have a private tour with specialist Curators of the Historic Royal Palaces, Dr Alden Gregory and Alfred Hawkins as our hosts. The White Tower is a magnificent and imposing example of Norman architecture at the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our tour will take us in to spaces not ordinarily open to the public. The visit includes the Byward Tower (1275-1281), the southwestern barbican designed by Henry III to be both a defensive structure and a royal residence, with four floors and a range of living quarters, including a great hall and a chapel. This was where Henry VIII stayed with his new bride, Catherine Howard, in 1540. Here we shall see the marvellous Byward Angel, a wall painting from the 1390s depicting the Crucifixion, the last remaining artwork of its kind in the Tower of London.
We shall also visit Legge’s Mount, a two-story stone bastion built during the reign of Edward I (1275-1285) at the northwest corner of the site as Edward I’s major western defence remodelling. Archaeological digs by Historic England have found 16th century furnaces and crucibles for melting and processing metals which reveal the site of the Royal Mint.
We have permission to visit the King’s House, a sixteenth-century timber-framed building built by Henry VIII (1539-40) overlooking Tower Green, which contains one of the Tower of London’s most historically important rooms, the Council Chamber. Today the King’s House is the official residence of the Constable of the Tower.
Dr Alden Gregory is Curator of Historic Buildings, HM Tower of London and Whitehall Banqueting House. Alden is an architectural historian specialising in late-medieval and early modern palaces and great houses. As curator for the Tower of London and the Banqueting House, he has undertaken detailed studies of both, including extensive research on the King’s House at the Tower.
Alfred Hawkins is Curator of Historic Buildings, HM Tower of London. Alfred has worked in the commercial archaeology and heritage sectors as an archaeological researcher, archaeologist and, subsequently, a historic building specialist. He is Curator of Historic Buildings for HM Tower of London for Historic Royal Palaces, and Cathedral Archaeologist at Portsmouth Cathedral.
After our tour, we can choose to lunch in the New Armouries restaurant (not included in this ticket) and there will be the opportunity to have a self-guided visit to other attractions at the Tower, including the important Anglo-Norman Chapel of St. John, before departing.
Tickets are £45 per person and places are limited! The day is hosted by Dr Andrew Moore.
| 10.45am | Meet at the Tower of London, Byward Gate |
| 11.00am | Welcome and Introduction, split into two groups |
| 11.15am | Group 1 visit Byward tower, Group 2 visit Legge's Mount |
| 11.45am | Group 2 visit Byward tower, Group 1 visit Legge's Mount |
| 12.15pm | Visit together to King's House |
| 1.00pm | Lunch in New Armouries followed by self-guided Tower visit |
- The White Tower
- © Royal Historic Palaces
