The White Tower

The White Tower at the Tower of London is a tower keep built between approximately 1078 and 1100 for William I and William II, probably designed by Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester. The structure has undergone various repairs and alterations, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries and notably by Anthony Salvin in 1856–7.

The building is constructed of ragstone rubble with Caen stone dressings, later replaced by Portland stone, and has lead roofs. It follows a rectangular plan with an apsidal projection at the south-east angle containing the east end of the chapel, and a cylindrical north-east stair turret. The style is Anglo-Norman, comprising three storeys and a basement, with five-storey angle turrets at the corners.

The four elevations display crenellated parapets and offset flat pilaster buttresses defining bays. The north and south elevations have four bays, the east elevation three bays, and the west elevation five bays. Second-floor windows are set in round-headed recesses forming bold Romanesque arcading. Later windows include late 19th-century replacements and early 18th-century sashes set in semicircular arched architraves with keyblocks and impost blocks to large first and second-floor openings. The north elevation features two early 18th-century panelled double doors set in similar architraves at first-floor level, while late 19th-century double doors open to the west, approached by a double flight of steps from the east. Two late 11th-century round-arched lights appear on the first floor. The apsidal south-eastern projection housing the chapel has mid-19th-century Norman-style round-arched windows with engaged shafts. The south elevation contains similar chapel windows, an early 18th-century architrave to the original late 11th-century entrance in the west bay of the first floor, and two pairs of late 11th-century round-arched windows set within larger round-arched recesses to the third floor. The angle turrets display restored late 11th-century round-arched lights and weathervanes to cupolas.

Internally, each floor is divided into two compartments by an off-centre spine wall running north to south and by an east-west wall defining the chapel area. All floors are served by a vice in the north-east turret; vices from the second floor are located in the north-west and south-west turrets, with an inserted 14th-century vice in the south wall serving the chapel.

The basement, a former storage and service area, contains brick piers and vaulting of approximately 1730, an original well, a round-arched doorway to a barrel-vaulted sub-crypt, and traces of original splayed recesses for loops in the south, west and north walls.

The first floor's west compartment, the former great hall, features 18th-century timber posts supporting the ceiling, five round-arched embrasures, and remains of a late 11th-century round-arched fireplace along the west wall. Round-arched doorways flank three tall round-arched recesses, which were later pierced to create entries along the east spine wall. A round-arched embrasure to the south has been altered into an entry to the inserted 14th-century vice. Round-arched doorways to two garderobe chambers open in the north wall. The east compartment also has 18th-century timber posts supporting the ceiling, a restored round-arched doorway to the north-east vice, three round-arched embrasures, and remains of a round-arched fireplace along the east wall. A restored doorway set in a wide round-arched recess leads to the south-east crypt, which has had its barrel vault restored in the 20th century. Three embrasures have been restored in the 20th century, together with a restored east window in a niched apse, a restored round-arched recess to the west wall, and a restored round-arched doorway to a square mural chamber in the north wall.

The second floor originally contained the royal hall, chapel and chamber, rising through two stages with the third floor being an early 17th-century insertion. Originally featuring a mural gallery and a five-bay round-arched arcade to the spine wall at third-floor level.

The main western compartment, the former great hall with a central hearth, has nine round-arched embrasures, two restored round-arched doorways in the spine wall, and an original round-arched embrasure to the south altered into an entry for the inserted 14th-century vice. Mural passages lead to other vices.

The east compartment, the former royal chamber, contains three tall round-arched recesses later pierced to create entries along the west side of the spine wall. It includes a round-arched entry to a garderobe, a window embrasure enlarged in the 14th century, and a round-arched doorway to a garderobe in the north wall. A late 11th-century chamfered round-arched fireplace and three round-arched embrasures occupy the east wall. A round-arched doorway provides access to the chapel.

The Chapel of St John has an aisled plan with an eastern apse and ambulatory of thirteen bays. The aisles and ambulatory have groin vaulting, with bays defined by responds forming an arcade on outer walls and columns to the main arcade. The main arcade surrounds a barrel-vaulted nave rising two storeys with a barrel-vaulted triforium to the upper stage. The chapel contains an important series of Anglo-Norman capitals, including eight block-shaped capitals with fluted chamfers, one primitive Corinthian capital, two with primitive volutes, one cushion capital, and two double-cushion capitals. All have scribed mouldings to abaci, except for geometric carving on two western capitals. Eleven capitals are decorated with Germanic-inspired Tau crosses. Round-headed recesses line the west wall, including an inserted doorway to the 14th-century vice.

The chapel was restored by Anthony Salvin in 1864–6, when windows featuring 18th-century stained glass from Strawberry Hill were replaced.