The White Tower was started in 1076 and completed in 1097.It is the oldest of the twenty towers which used to stand here, of which many can still be seen today. The Tower of London was first built by William the Conqueror ( who reigned from 1066 to 1087) for the purpose of protecting and controlling the city. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist sights and attracts over three million visitors a year.

It was occasionally used as a Royal Palace for the Kings and Queens of England until the time of James I (who reigned from 1603 to 1625) but is the best known as a prison and execution place. Within the walls of the Tower, princes have been murdered, traitors tortured, spies shot, and Queens of England beheaded. One of the most famous executions was that of Anne Boleyn in 1536. She was the second wife of Henry VIII. He wanted to get rid of her because she could not give him a son, so he accused her of adultery. She was tried and found guilty. She asked to be beheaded with a sword, rather than the usual axe, which can still be seen in the tower. The sword and executioner were brought over specially from France and with one stroke the executioner cut off her head.

The Tower was also the scene of one of London's most famous mysteries, known as the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. King Edward IV died in 1483.He had two sons, Edward and Richard, and the elder of these, Edward, became king on his father's death. As he was only twelve years old, his uncle (Richard, Duke of Gloucester) became his Protector until the time of his coronation. Young Edward lived in the Tower, and the Duke persuaded Edward's brother to come and live there as well so that they could play together. But then the Duke announced that he was the new king, and he, not Edward, was crowned, calling himself Richard III.

After that, the boys were seen less and less and eventually disappeared. It is said that they were suffocated in bed by pillows being pressed over their mouths. It is believed that Richard ordered their deaths, although it has never been proved. In 1674,workmen at the Tower discovered two skeletons which were taken away and buried in Westminster Abbey in 1678. The bones were examined in 1933 and were declared to be those of two children, roughly the age of the Princes. However, the true facts have never been discovered. Today, the tower where the boys were imprisoned is known as the Bloody Tower.

伦敦塔

   白塔于1076年建造，完成于1097年。该塔是过去矗立在这里的20座塔中最古老的一座，其中许多座至今仍可看到。伦敦塔由征服者威廉（他从1066 年至1087年统制英国）兴建，用以保卫和控制这座城市。今天它是伦敦最受欢迎的旅游景观之一，每年吸引着300万以上的旅游者。

   伦敦塔在詹姆斯一世时代（他于 1603 至1625 年统治英国）以前，曾偶尔用作英国国王和王后的王宫，但如今它却以一所监狱和刑场而最为著称。在塔的围墙内，曾有一些王子被谋杀，叛徒受酷刑，间谍被枪决，英国王后被斩首。其中最著名的一次处决是1536 年对安妮·博林的斩首。她是亨利八世的第二位妻子。亨利八世因为她不能为他生出一个儿子而想遗弃她，于是就控告她与人私通。她在法庭受审结果被判有罪。她请求用一把利剑将她斩首，而不要用行刑时通常用的那把斧头（这把斧头一直保存在塔内，人们至今仍能看到）。于是特别从法国带来了剑并请了刽子手，刽子手利剑一挥，她的头便被斩下。

   伦敦塔也是伦敦最著名的一起神秘事件的出事地点，那起事件称为塔内王子的疑案。1483 年英王爱德华四世亡故，身后留下两个儿子，爱德华和里查德，长子爱德华在父亲死后成为国王。由于他仅仅12 岁，他的叔叔格洛斯特公爵理查就成为他的摄政王，直到他加冕时为止。年轻的爱德华住在塔内，公爵又劝说爱德华的弟弟也住到那里去，这样他们就可以在一起玩乐。但以后公爵宣布自己是新国王，是他而不是爱德华接受了加冕礼，并宣布自己为里查三世。

   从此以后，两个男孩出现在人们面前的场合愈来愈少，最后终于消失不见了。据说他们是在床上被人用枕头捂住嘴巴窒息致死的。人们认为这是里查德下令谋杀的，尽管这种说法一直没有得到证实。1674年，在伦敦塔里干活的工人发现了两具骷髅，这两具骷髅于1678 年被带出伦敦塔并葬于威斯敏斯特大教堂。1933年经过对骨头检验后宣布，那是两个孩子的骨头，其年龄大致与两位王子的岁数吻合。然而，人们至今未发现事实的真相。今天，囚禁那两个孩子的塔被称为“血腥塔”。            

                                 应可之 译自《伦敦观光》