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The Tower of London is a place rich in history and tradition. Located in London, The Tower is actually a complex of several buildings and associated grounds. Throughout it’s nearly 1000-year history, it has served as a royal palace, a fortress and a prison for high-status prisoners. It has also been home to Britain’s Crown Jewels since 1303.

Many people around the world are fascinated with British history in general, and the history of The Tower in general. However, a large percentage of those with interest may never have the opportunity to visit London. The Tower of London Virtual Tour offers the capability to virtually experience a visit to the Tower of London through photographs, words and music.

The Tower of London Virtual Tour provides a fascinating and well-balanced look at this famous historical site. However, there have been few changes to the site for several years. Although the history of The Tower may not have changed, there are several website enhancements that could be added to make the virtual experience more satisfying.

The site offers precisely what you would expect given the title. It is a virtual tour of the Tower of London. The tour starts with the Tower’s location and other nearby attractions, including the Tower Bridge and Tower Pier. Pictures and text then relay the story of the Tower; that is, why it was built and how it is structured. From there, the virtual tour presents a series of photographs arranged in the order in which a visitor would most likely proceed.

The tour includes pictures and information about some of the most popular and well-known features of the Tower, like the Yeoman Warders (or beefeaters as they are more commonly known). London Tower is actually a collection of towers. Each of these towers, their history and their significance are covered in turn. There is also ample information about the arms and armour that are displayed throughout London Tower.

After a description of the physical location, the tour takes you to the crown jewels, one of the most famous and often-visited collections of jewels, swords, crowns and scepters in the world. The London Tower Virtual Tour includes a detailed description of the Ceremony of the Keys, a nightly ritual of locking the Tower that has taken place nearly unchanged for the last 700 years. The virtual tour concludes with a few more pages of photos.

In addition to the main virtual tour, the site offers several maps of the Tower of London and a kid’s tour led by the character Reginald (Rascal) Raven. There is an additional area of children’s activities related to the Tower at “Rascal’s Place.” Finally, the site includes user-contributed “Tower Tales.”

The information presented on the Tower of London Virtual Tour is organized in a very straightforward and easy-to-understand arrangement. There is one main page laid out in a single column. Site visitors can return to this page from any other page by clicking on a tower icon. Virtual tourists advance through the tour by clicking on a flag located at the bottom right of each page. There is almost no confusion about where to click next.

For people who have an interest in the Tower of London, but who will probably never visit, the Tower of London Virtual Tour provides a quite acceptable experience. Those who plan an actual visit in the future may also find the site a good way to orient themselves and plan for a more enriching real world visit.

The best thing about this site is the ease of navigation. Virtual pathways are clearly marked. Knowing what to click and where to click never seems to be a problem. The site is also very complete. It includes a full range of information about the Tower of London and its history. Once a virtual tour has been completed, there should be few, if any, unanswered questions.

Unfortunately, the site is a little hampered by an archaic look. Today’s web is all about motion and visitor interaction. If the site could be updated without losing its simple charm, it could become even more useful. However, even in its present form, I found it useful, and you might too.

Complete information is provided in a way that is simple to navigate, but the site could use some updating.

Our rating: 3.5/5