Cradle Tower
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The Cradle Tower is a gate in the fortress of the Tower of London . The gate is on the south side of the tower and connects the outer fortress ring with Tower Wharf . Originally built in the 14th century, the tower was subject to several modifications. The last major construction project provided it with a neo-Gothic top floor in 1870 .
The building has a T-shaped floor plan with the base of the T reaching south towards the Thames . On the ground floor there is a narrow passage, the former water gate, of which there are two rooms to the side. The room on the east side probably served as a guard's lounge, while the west room was reserved for the king. From here he could get to the rest of the fortress and his private rooms in the Lanthorn Tower via a staircase and a bridge that had since disappeared .
Edward III. had the gate built as a private water gate since 1348 . The builder was the carpenter John of Leicester. Due to the outbreak of the Black Death , completion was delayed until 1355. Today it is the most important building from this construction phase that still exists. The top floor was removed by the Board of Ordnance in 1776 to make room for a gun battery. After the defense function of the tower had become largely obsolete in the 19th century and tourism and representation played a more important role, this tower was also given an extension that was supposed to look medieval.
Remarks
- ^ A b Simon Bradley, Nikolas Pevsner: London 1, The city of London, 1997, London: Penguin. ISBN 0140710922 , p. 362
- ^ A b Geoffrey Parnell: Edward Impey, Geoffrey Parnell: The Tower of London. The official illustrated history. Merrell, London 2000, ISBN 1-85894-106-7 . P. 47.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 25.7 " N , 0 ° 4 ′ 32.1" W.