Martin Tower
The Martin Tower (formerly Irish Tower ) is a tower in the inner ramparts of the Tower of London . The tower is one of the few in the north wall that was not damaged by the great tower fire of 1841. At times it housed the Jewel House . The tower has been subject to numerous modifications and additions since it was built.
The Martin Tower originally comes from the construction of the inner wall in the 13th century. Like the other towers of the north wall, it has a D shape, with the semicircle pointing outwards and the straight line pointing inwards. The original shape of the Martin Tower changed significantly when it housed the Jewel House in 1669 and was used to store the British Crown Jewels .
In 1721, the tower administration had an external staircase added to the first floor. The gabled door in the south of the tower, which opens to the south wall passage, probably comes from the same renovation. On the higher floors, various repair work from the 18th century can be seen, which were carried out in brick . A short-term and obviously badly planned attempt to give the tower a more medieval look in 1905 led to a conspicuous place in the upper part of the tower, which has a natural stone facade.
Inside the tower, you can see its eventful architectural history. Partly the substance is still medieval, partly the alterations of the 18th century to the residence of the supreme jeweler. The turret in the north houses two walk-in closets that are placed directly on top of each other.
Remarks
- ^ Edward Impey and Geoffrey Parnell: The Tower of London. The Official Illustrated History Merrel London 2000 ISBN 1-85894-106-7 , p. 106
literature
- Simon Bradley, Nikolaus Pevsner: London 1, The city of London, 1997, London: Penguin. ISBN 0140710922 , p. 368
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 31.17 " N , 0 ° 4 ′ 29.94" W.