Despite its emphasis on relatively safe Britishisms like the crown jewels, the Tower of London’s dark atmosphere and history of death impacted in some very strange ways. I cannot recall ever having been anywhere with such a violent history, so it was surprising that its torturous and murderous past were acknowledged so openly and documented in the tower’s displays. It is especially unexpected, since the Tower of London is a tourist attraction and is therefore motivated to be accessible to the widest possible variety of people (as opposed to just the morbid niche to which I am subscribed).

The open and frank discussion of the World War I executions at the tower, particularly as it relates to the apparent lack of evidence for those convicted, was direct in a way that I found unsettling. The fact that the exact spot of execution was revealed in the written materials and was visible to anyone exploring the monument surprised me, as I cannot remember any parallel experience of this nature within the States. This lack of an American analog could simply be my lack of life experience, or it could be representative of a discrepancy in the way that the British and the United States view the violent patches of their history. From a purely observational perspective, there seems to be a larger tolerance for violent content internationally, as modern American cinema is comparatively tamer than some of its European and Asian in its portrayals violence (for example, there are no American equivalents of Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible, Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, Tom Six’s Human Centipede Trilogy, Srdjan Spasojevic’s A Serbian Film, or any of Takashi Miike’s films). Although I don’t have a conclusive answer, I found myself wondering if there was a genuine unwillingness to confront violence in America (both in terms of fictional content and factual stories), particularly as it relates to the founding of the country and the colonial era.

While my lack of closure on this internal thread was frustrating, this aspect of the tower was not the most introspective part of the day. Instead, I found the preserved inscriptions from prisoners to be captivating. I was shocked to find that these etchings in the walls were usually quite simple, operating more as records of occupancy than the last words of men and women about to be executed. Nevertheless, the sparsity of verbiage was still impactful, especially since some of the occupants’ fates are presently unknown to historians. In this way, there was a certain mystery to some of the carvings. The historical uses of the space mandated a reverence that we had previously only experienced in cathedrals. People gestured to various carvings and the accompanying explanations. They quietly muttered to one another, but there seemed to be a certain uneasiness in allowing this part of the tower to go without acknowledgement through the momentary breaking of traditional speech and behavioral patterns. I was moved by the stories of those imprisoned in the tower, even though many of the wall etchings that I read were primarily short phrases, dates, and names with little significance to most non-historians.

Brian Thornton

  

As an archaeologist and history lover, I have always felt at home in museums and The British Museum in London was no exception. As I fought my way through the crowds I felt the excitement growing. I was under the same roof as the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and so many other exciting pieces of material culture. I had grown up reading about these artifacts and I could barely believe that I was in the same building with them. The short list of highlights in the museum is the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, the Medieval England exhibit, and the entire Egyptian section.

I made my way through the Medieval England section, turned the corner and I was looking right at one of my favorite mummies. The Lindow man was right there in a plexiglass box. My heart skipped a beat as I approached with my camera raised. I read all of the information available and didn’t want to move on but I knew there was so much more I wanted to see.

I made my way through the tourists in the Egyptian section and finally reached the mummy room. I was so excited. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the process of mummification and the Egyptian view of life after death. As I made my way through the exhibit I admired the artifacts on display. After being somewhat pushed out of the room by groups of tourists, I decided to find the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. When I finally did, I didn’t want to leave. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I was standing in front of these pieces of history that I had read about my entire life. I could have spent days in that museum and it was an experience that I will always remember.

Jessica Goon

I was particularly engaged in my exploration of the Tower of London. My interest skyrocketed as the tour guide muttered the words “beheadings” and “executions.” Being an Early Childhood/ Childhood Education major rather than a History major, I decided to opt for the guided tour so that I could gain as much information about the historic place as possible. The tour gave me more insight on the history than I could have ever imagined. Having fully expected the information to revolve solely around past royalty, I was impressed to learn that Sir Isaac Newton resided for a time in the Tower and is thought to have tested his famous laws of gravity on the Bell Tower. I was also intrigued to learn that that same Bell Tower housed Elizabeth I during the time that her sister, Queen Mary, imprisoned her for suspicions of fueling a rebellion. However, what really intrigued me were the tales of the numerous beheadings. I was fascinated by the treatment of Anne Boleyn by King Henry VIII. The Queen had become so hysterical at the thought of her execution that a specifically gifted swordsmen was hired to behead her with a quick and clean swift of the sword. It is remarkable to me that the King so heartlessly charged her with adultery and treason while he was simultaneously preparing to marry another woman and hoping the new wife would produce a male heir. However, he showed some mercy in the hiring of an expert swordsman. His conflicting nature was one that interested me. I was also intrigued in the beheading of the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard. The queen was executed for her affair with Thomas Culpeper. Thomas faced a similar fate and was also beheaded along with the the Queen’s maid who organized dates for the affair. The tour guide shared that though there is debate on whether this was actually said, there is speculation that prior to being executed, Catherine announced, “I die a queen. But I would rather die the wife of Culpeper.” Gender hypocrisy is not something that is new to me, but to see it being so blatantly accepted as the wives were being beheaded for adulterous affairs and in some cases, simply rumors, while the much older and tyrannical King Henry VIII had countless affairs was both fascinating to me and horrifying. I was also intrigued by the disappearance of Prince Edward and Prince Richard. It is widely thought that the princes’ uncle had them murdered in an attempt to save the throne for himself. Years later, two bodies of two young boys were then found underneath a staircase of what is now known as the Bloody Tower. The tour guide who led our tour also shared that he had personally guarded a more recent prisoner in the Tower of London, Rudolph Hess, who was held in the Tower before being sentenced in the Nuremberg Trials. The entire experience was captivating and surreal in that I had the opportunity to stand in these historic spots and gain specific pieces of information that made the history come alive.

-Sara Siliznol

        

Have you ever wanted to book a trip and just go?

Follow up question have you ever actually gone on the trip?

If your answer is no I get it. I have always wanted travel and have an adventure in other countries but I’ve never had the courage to do it alone. So when presented with the opportunity to travel to England with one of my favorite professors and a few of my friends, I finally had to courage to take the steps to have my adventure. We traveled to Manchester, York, Canterbury, Hampton Court, and London in the span of eight days. I could write about the beautiful works of art at the Manchester Art Gallery, the quirkiness of the Shambles in York, the architect of the Canterbury cathedral, or the elegance featured at Hampton Court. But I won’t subject you to that, I am going to tell you about my adventure that had in my free time.

Some background is needed to understand why my adventure was an amazing experience to me but may bore others to death. I enjoy many things but when I looked at schools I looked for a good History department and a climbing wall. Many don’t know much about rock climbing and that’s okay. To help you understand what it means to me, think about how people go to the gym to work out and they have a routine during the week. Rock climbing is my form of going to the gym to work out, I climb maybe four times a week and stay for about 2 hours each time.  So when I realized we had basically a full day free to do whatever we wanted I knew what I was doing. I took the tube from Wembley Park to Manor House and headed to the castle climbing centre. The centre was massive it was interesting to see how the exterior of the building which was a magnificent castle blended with the interior of a modern climbing gym. The pictures speak for themselves.

I had a great time climbing and being around genuinely nice people that were willing to answer my questions. I got experience climbing in a way I had never done it before, there were four flours filled with climbing areas, a cafe, a shop filled with climbing gear, and an outside garden that had another wall. I met amazing people that were from all over the world. I got to try climbing using a different rating system. I climbed til my body physically couldn’t anymore and I didn’t mind the soreness because I spent most of my day doing what I loved in an amazing country. My adventure may seem small and that’s, I did something that I wanted to do completely on my own and for me that’s huge.

Written by: Lyndsey Tapley

 

From the time I first could hold things in my hands, after that more often than not, those things were books. Colorful, bright, shiny books that invited me to jump into their worlds and never look back again. As I grew older, my tastes shifted from exploring the whimsical delights of Dr. Seuss to analyzing the institutions of racism present in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird or sailing aboard the Pequod with Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. My room quickly evolved into a library, where piles upon piles of books lay, pages crinkled and starting to yellow. Every corner of my gray room boasted stacks of novels, almost as if in a race to see which corner could first reach the ceiling. Characters became my friends, and authors, worthy idols: I grew up dreaming of the future stories I would tell and share with other book-lovers. I simply could not wait to inspire and encourage others to write, to express, and to dream.

Fast-forward a handful of years, when I stand in Westminster Abbey taking in the massively impressive structure and undeniable beauty of this historical building. I readily embrace the intense crowd of people, all shuffling through the stunning church and talking in hushed whispers so as not to disturb the sanctity of the Abbey. I manage to escape a cluster of people and stand off to the side, allowing myself a moment’s breath. Looking around at all the visitors taking mental pictures to cherish the magnificence of the church sends shivers down my spine, completely embracing the power of such an awe-inspiring attraction. A handful of minutes pass before I realize, I am standing on the grave of Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens, author of Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and my personal favorite, A Tale of Two Cities, buried right beneath my feet. I instantly recall the hundreds of pages I once flipped, simply unable to believe that the Charles Dickens lay right underneath me. Charles Dickens no longer represented some long forgotten author, who’s novels no longer seemed relevant. He was right there! This was the moment where everything became real.

-Allie Fischer