| Summary : Beauchamp Tower at the Tower of London was built circa 1280 replacing the earlier twin-towered gatehouse. It was named from Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick who was imprisoned here between 1397 to 1399. It is a D-shaped 3- storey tower with rectangular turrets to north and south. The tower made extensive use of brick which was an unusual practice at the time of its construction. The first floor was used to house prisoners in the 16th and 17th centuries and many commemmorative inscriptions were left on the walls. It was surveyed by A Salvin in 1851 with a view to restoring it and opening it to the public. In 1852 two warders houses on the east face were demolished and the towers walls were subsequently re-faced, windows and doorways replaced and battlements recreated. |