I took a memory lane stroll through the Tower of London in 2026 with my adult daughter.
(It’s also known, officially, as His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London)
We’d been there before when she was in high school.
I’d been there before that trip with her once-toddler brothers, and prior to that as a teenager myself.
The Tower of London looked the same.
Only I was different–or was I?
And of course there were ghosts–or at least memories–everywhere.
History galore
History pours out of the granite stones, flows over the grass and courtyards, runs up to an outer wall and bounces back at the visitors.
That involves a memory lane stroll through British history: all the historical figures who have lived, fought, been imprisoned or born, and, of course, executed on the same spot.
The glass in the small square windows looks almost fuzzy, albeit clear with age.
Signs tell us who was where and when.
Unless you were a Beefeater family, chances are if you were locked up in the Tower of London you also died there.
This was the first time I’d noticed the family dwellings in the Tower.
Most Beefeater housing ran along the outside of the eastern inner wall, but a few faced the courtyard where earlier Beefeaters executed Mary Queen of Scots.
I recently read a Substack article about a girl raised in the Tower, 400 years ago: Lucy Hutchinson.
You can see what a beautiful day it was in 2026.
A stroll down memory lane–literally–on the Tower wall
That first teenage visit prompted a fascination with British history, which continues to this day.
I knew the names and most of the stories: Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Raleigh, the Princes in the Tower, and of course the WWI spies shot inside the Tower of London.
My husband enjoys reading about The Duke of Wellington (the 1815 victor of Waterloo). He served as the constable at the Tower from 1826-1853.
It all overlapped, caught my attention, and surprised me, at every turn.
Which is what usually happens on a memory lane stroll!
I caught my breath at the center sight.
My daughter paused, “what’s up?”
“This is where your brother chased ravens and a beefeater warned him to stop!”
She laughed. “Sounds like him!”
(The Paddington book was a gift from British Airways while we flew. We read it constantly in England!)
Tower animals
The Tower of London boasted a menagerie of exotic animals for over 600 years. (Beginning in 1210).
Throughout the Tower we saw stuffed or sculptured animals that once lived there.
An exihibit about the menagerie asked a pertinent question:
“What do you give someone who has everything?”
“How about a strange and valuable wild animal! For a long time, powerful rulers tried to impress each other by exchanging living gifts. From 1210 England’s royal beast lived and died here at the Tower.”
The first royal beasts were lions, polar bear, and an elephant.
By the time the menagerie closed, it housed over 60 species including alligators, tigers and kangaroos!
Historic views for everyone on a memory lane stroll through the Tower of London
Located on the Thames River and featuring a river gate where prisoners arrived on a boat, the views from the Tower are fantastic.
This is out a White Tower prison window, freezing and damp in the winter, and where political prisoners were held.
We also saw armor worn by many English kings.
The most poignant spot was outside opposite the military housing above.
It’s been turned into a shrine where Mary Queen of Scots lost her head on February 8, 1587.
Crown Jewels?
We ride a moving walkway through the Crown Jewels.
No photos allowed, no getting off the walkway, no touching.
While we knew King Charles is the ruler, somehow, for the first time, I realized difference from all my other strolls down memory lane.
It ended here, staring at a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II in her coronation crown.
The familiarity and the ghosts
They say, “the days are long but the years are short.”
I felt that on this day. My once teenage daughter is an adult.
The older brothers who toured it with us in 2009 are scattered.
The toddler boy who chased a ball and ravens has children of his own.
And my mother and my brothers felt like a shower of the past.
More than once, I blinked back tears during my memory stroll through the Tower of London.
My daughter touched my arm. “You okay, Mom?”
“Yes. Let’s have tea.”
Wearing our matching trench coats, we laughed and walked to a nearby teashop.
Such a British way to end a day!
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