Tower of London
The age old fortress stands as a monument of English and European history. Through monarchs, bloody battles, from prisoners to executions and a touch from all London’s prominent events in history, the Tower Of London is renowned for more than just its magnificent appearance.
The tower was founded by William, Duke of Normandy when he conquered England in 1066. He began building the stronghold as a declaration of his power to the English people who were resentful of his reign. William invaded England and defeated King Harold and his armies at the Battle of Hastings. When he began building, the white tower was constructed, which was the first step of many more additions to make the castle we see today. Because it was built around war time, the tower was designed with the principle of defense. Roman walls, guard towers and gates were put up around the tower. Later other monarchs would also add more defensive walls, a moat, more towers and reinforce the military tower guards, Yeomen warders or more commonly called Beefeaters. Many of the monarchs continually improved on the white tower, in attempts to make it more and more secure. From its beginning the white tower has been the most formidable part of the royal castle.
Royal monarchs did not start living on the grounds until several hundred years after its construction. In 1220 Henry III began to largely expand on the royal palace and increased the castle defenses. When the tower did become a common place for monarchs, it also became a new stage for climatic events in England. The palace became a place for royal ceremonies and drama. The casual attributes of the tower like the armory, treasury, temple, the castles green and even an added Jewel house were all made mo...
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...s Learning Co, 1992.
• DC. May “Tower Of London” Picture Book Of London. Hundry Publishing, 1997.
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• Historic Royal Palaces. Copyright. Historic Royal Palaces 2004-2014. Tower Of London. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/
• Camelot International “Tower Of London” Knight International Bulgarian Property Specialist 2001-2004. Copyright 2001 Hermien Jerian du’fort http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html • Youtube/Historic Royal Palaces, March 19, 2009. Copyright youtube license. 1-21-14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6iUU9wbM3k
• PBS, Tower Of London, pbs program 2014. Copyright PBS 2014. 1-20-14 http://www.pbs.org/program/secrets-tower-london/ • “Tower Of London” Britanica publishing 2009. Copyright Britanica Encyclopedia
For many the Cathedral is seen to indicate the grandeur and control of the Normans, who were able to build such monuments to their power despite having only recently conquered England. The precarious situation of being an recently instated alien power was even more pronounced in the north, where even the Anglo Saxon Kings had only had a superficial hold, arguably making the construction of Durham “one of the greatest Anglo-Norman achievements”. This so-called achievement is not restricted to architecture but also refers to the political developments which enabled the Normans to apparently gain enough control to do this within 30 years. However the study of Durham Cathedral alone cannot suffice to give a satisfactory outline of Norman politics and the achievements in Durham and must be put into the context of the region. Hence Durham Cathedral and all its powerful connotations can be argued to only be an anomaly to the reality of Norman England and its politics.
The Seige of 1216 and Dover Castle "THE SIEGE OF 1216 BROUGHT ABOUT LITTLE REAL CHANGE TO DOVER CASTLE.
... was begun in 1077. The main building, included a small cathedral in one corner, and rises three stories. Towers extend from each of the four corners. Exterior walls enclose the premises. The walls were clearly built for defensive purposes with towers on each corner. The tower of London exists, with some later modifications, till this day.
King Henry VIII was one of the most powerful rulers in the fifteenth century, who had a very captivating life many people are not aware of. Most people know Henry VIII as a berserk king with too many wives, but there is more to Henry VIII than that. Many few people know about his life and what he truly contributed to our world. Henry VIII was an almighty leader in England who won’t soon be forgotten.
The church in the Middle Ages was a place that all people, regardless of class, could belong to. As a source of unity, its influence on art and architecture was great during this time. As society drew away from the feudal system of the Romanesque period, a new spirit of human individualism began to take hold; alas, the birth of Gothic. Here, the Church became a place where humanity became more acceptable, alas becoming the ideal place to visual such new ideals. The beauty and elegance of Gothic architecture is depicted most in the great cathedrals of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries—St. Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Salisbury, Durham, Amiens, and more. The experience of looking at one of the great gothic cathedrals is to look up towards God. Indeed, most Gothic structures emphasize the vertical, drawing one’s eyes upwards toward the heavens with the awesomeness of God. These cathedrals were built with towering spires, pointed arches and flying buttresses giving impressions of harmony and luminosity. One of the major accomplishments of the 12th and 13th centuries was to develop the engineering mastery of the ribbed vault, pointed arch and flying buttress to create a great cathedral that is at once taller, lighter, wider, and more elegant than the ones before. Even though the pointed arch could support more weight than its predecessors, there was still the problem of finding a way to support the heavy masonry ceiling vaults over wide spans. In order to support the outward thrust of barrel vaults, vertical support walls have to be very thick and heavy. What makes possible the extensive use of ribbed vaulting and pointed arches to “open” and “lighten” the walls and space of the cathedral is the flying buttress—“an arched bridge above the aisle roof that extends from the upper nave wall, where the lateral thrust of the main vault is greatest, down to a solid pier.”
Barry’s plans reflect more of his knowledge of the neo-classical style through its symmetry. Pugin was the leading authority on Gothic architecture at the time. Almost all of the remains of the Old Palace were incorporated into the new design. Their work on the Palace began in 1840 and, while most of the work was finished by 1860, the New Palace of Westminster was not complete until a decade later. One of the most identifiable features of the Palace is the Elizabeth Tower, commonly identified by its main bell, “Big Ben”.
...survived public lashings and invasions since its erection in 1889. Even though some thought it would detract from the gloriousness of Paris, it brought in millions upon millions of people from every nation who had the desire to see the breath taking monument that is the Eiffel Tower. Thousands, if not millions, spend their lives dreaming and wishing they can one day visit the Tower, jars are labeled ‘Eiffel Tower Fund’ and spend years filling up. The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, has brought delight and bliss to many with its income and the addition to science around the world.
Gothic structures had a tendency to be very tall, light walls, towering structures and with large widows, a lot of light could flow in, giving a strong sense of happiness and godliness. Many town halls castles, palaces, and guild halls were structured in such fashions all over the European continent. Gothic styles are most remembered for the churches and cathedrals which overlook over some European cites. Although it was not as common, some people actually had the interior of their homes styled in a gothic manner.
The medieval period, also known as the middle ages, went from 1066 to 1500. During this, England went through many changes in rule. In 1042 Edward the Confessor, son of King Aethelred and Emma, became the King of England, after he learned the and the French culture, and people. After his Edward’s death in 1066, the Normans invaded England, which led to the defeat of the Anglo-Saxons elite. Under the rule of William the Conqueror federalism was introduced to govern England. Once Williams was crowned he started work on the Tower of London, and later Canterbury Cathedral, that lead to the Norman style of architecture. After William died his son Henry I took the throne; he then died without a male heir, so his daughter, Matilda, married Stephen of Blois, who was supported by the church, but his rule led to anarchy. Stephen reign lasted nineteen years.
The first castles built (Motte and Bailey) were made of wood and quick to build, but they were burnt and worn down easily, so the next castles were made of stone. (Square keeps) They were tall, strong, large and lasted long, but attackers would surround the castle and wait for ages for the people inside to come out. The third castles (Shell Keeps) were even stronger, but because they were made of heavy stone, they might collapse. So finally, the fourth castles (concentric) were built and they were the strongest, largest most defensive and most expensive castles built.
The Eiffel Tower is so amazing. It stands 1,063 feet tall in Paris and took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 weeks to build which is an impressive time for such a tall building.The Eiffel Tower is a strong yet delicate building. It was made from puddle iron and many rivets.(rivets are kind of like big nails) It used to be the tallest structure in the world,but many buildings have past it's height since it was first built in 1887. The Eiffel Tower comes from four different feet that are held in the ground by many rivets. All of the feet meet up in the middle and go up for 984 feet until the top. The Eiffel Tower has three different platforms at different heights. The intermediate platform is just above the meeting of the feet. All the platforms are reached by stairs and elevators. The Eiffel Tower has been visited by more than 167 million people since it first opened in 1889. (http://www.eiffel-tower.us/Eiffel-Tower-Why-Was-the-Eiffel-Tower-Built.html),(http://corrosion-doctors.org/Landmarks/eiffel-history.htm),(Munro,16+17)and,(http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/world/eiffel-tower.html)
The most impressive structure of Windsor Castle is the Round Tower, or Keep, which stands 80 feet high. According to tradition, King Arthur sat with the Knights of the Round Table within this tower. Surrounded by a moat, it was also used as a prison until 1660.
Eiffel Tower, consider by many as a miracle of the world, is a magnificent creation of the 19th century European architecture that has become a characteristic symbol of Paris.
The tower is a medieval architecture, in romanesque style. Beginning of construction began in 1173 and was done around 1399. The designers were Bonanno Pisa, Giovanni di Simone, Giovanni Pisano and Gherardo di Gherardo. The Tower of Pisa got its name from a Greek word meaning “marshy land”.
The tower served the city and the rest of the world through scientific research, which ensured the tower would not be torn down.1