The story of Elizabeth and the tower begins under the reign of her sister Mary.   In November 1558 Elizabeth entered London and proceeded to the Tower which saluted her by firing its guns for a full half hour. Almost 5 years before she had come as a prisoner through Traitor's Gate. Now she used the accustomed landing-place for royalty, the "privy stairs" opposite the Byward Tower.   After a few days stay she departed by river for Somerset House. She returned to the Tower, again by river, shortly before her coronation. She never returned.   The Tower had grim associations for her. Her mother had been executed there and she, herself, had been imprisoned there.   More important was that for a generation or more the Tower had been plainly unsuitable as a royal residence. Largely as a result of Henry VIII's building campaigns there were several magnificent palaces at her disposal - in London, Whitehall and St. James; to the east, Greenwich; to the west, Hampton Court, Richmond and Nonsuch.   The palace buildings in the Tower were allowed to fall into disrepair. A survey made in 1597 described the hall as decayed.   The fortifications were renovated early in her reign and new gun platforms were constructed on some of the roofs.   She also constructed a new mint. By the time Elizabeth came to power the coinage of England had been greatly debased. Elizabeth called in the old coins for reminting so the coin's face value more closely corresponded to its true silver content.   The entire work was done within the Tower. The new mint house was constructed near the Salt Tower, between the inner and outer walls. Two refining houses were also constructed, one at Coldwater Gate within the Tower. The other in East Smithfield just outside the Tower Walls.   With the expansion of the Mint space within the Tower was even harder to find. For a time ordnance was stored in the queen's chamber. Later a new storehouse was built just south of the White Tower.   In 1562 the Office of Ordnance took over the Minories, a property near the Tower, which had once been a convent. It now became the main ordnance storehouse.   The White Tower was largely given over to the Armouries, which had been augmented since Henry VIII's time by pieces from Westminster and Greenwich. It was also used as a royal furniture repository and stored a costume collection.   Actually, a museum was taking shape. An account of a visit to the Tower was left by a German traveler, Paul Hentzner, who visited in 1598. "We were shewn above a hundred peices of arras belonging to the corwn, made of gold, silver, and silk; an immense quantity of bed-furniture, such as canopies and the like, some of them most richly ornamented with pearl; some royal dresses so extremely magnificent, as to raise any one's admiration at the sums they must have cost."   In the armoury he saw many cannon and ..."spears, out of which you may shoot; shields, that will give fire four times; a great many rich halberds; commonly called partisans, with which the guard defend the royal person in battle;...the body armour of Henry VIII,...the lance of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk, three spans thick." All the armor mentioned is still on display in the White Tower.         Tower Menu Tower Hill Tower Green Queen's House Tudors Prison     Main Menu E Mail