Summary : The chapel of St Peter ad Vincula originally lay outside the walls of the Tower of London but eventually came within its boundaries following extensions by Henry III, and was for the use of the prisoners. From 1354 until 1548 it was a small secular college. It had been first mentioned between 1128 and 1134 as a parish church. It was embellished in 1240 with the installation of large glazed windows and stalls for the King and Queen. Edward I continued with work in 1286-7. Following a fire in 1512 Henry VIII rebuilt it in 1519-20. A major refurbishment was undertaken in 1675-6 with the interior refitted with decorative fittings which unfortunately fell victim to the major "restoration" works of 1876-7. It houses a great number of commemorative monuments to people associated with the Tower of London and is the burial place of some of the Towers more famous prisoners including Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey. |