Emily Chan
The iconic Tower of London is a historic castle that served as a royal residence. Thousands of visitors flock to the fortress on any given day to experience history for themselves.
From the Crown Jewels and infamous ravens to the well-preserved architecture and execution sites, there is much to explore at the grand monument.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, public executions occurred outside the walls of the castle in an open, grassy area near Tower Hill Underground Station.
A total of 125 people met their ends this way, and it is estimated that less than two dozen individuals of high status were beheaded at Tower Hill.
Executions were performed at the site for nearly 400 years. A list of names of the people who died, starting in 1381 and ending in the mid-1700s, can be found next to the Grade I-listed Merchant Navy Memorial, First World War Section.
The most notable executions were of the three former queens of England, two of whom were the wives of King Henry VIII.
Anne Boleyn was the king’s second wife and was in her early thirties. An expert swordsman had traveled from France for the occasion. He sliced her neck with a clean stroke of his sword.
Catherine Howard was Henry’s fifth wife, and she was in her early twenties. They were both accused of adultery. The third queen to lose her life was 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey.
She had been queen for just nine days before she died. She had hastily ascended to the throne as part of a failed military coup staged by her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland.
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