A World Heritage Site, this historic castle is located on the
north bank of the river Thames in the London Borough of Tower
Hamlets. The Tower of London was built by William the Conquer in
1078 following the Norman Conquest of 1066, and throughout its
existence has been famous as a fortress, prison, palace and now
museum, housing the Crown Jewels of the British royal family under
strict security.
The Tower is wrapped in iconic imagery, from its ceremonial
guardians the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and
Fortress the Tower of London - or as everyone else knows them, the
Beefeaters - to the legend of The Tower's six resident Ravens, who
would cause the fall of the Tower and the entire Kingdom should
they ever leave - to ensure they don't each has had one of their
wings clipped as a precaution! The Tower is also famous for it's
use as a prison and site of executions throughout its history, with
the final inmates being held during the Second World War. The final
execution at the Tower took place on August 14 1941, when Josef
Jakobs, held as a German spy, was executed by firing squad.
Due to the popularity of The Tower of London as a tourist
attraction, the scale of filming required by The Reichenbach Fall
meant its use as an onscreen location was impossible. Thus,
everything you see onscreen was filmed in the exterior and interior
of Cardiff Castle in Wales.