Henry wanted his court to be as splendid as any in Europe, and the Tower wasn't nearly elegant enough to be used regularly as a residence.   However, shortly after Henry VIII was crowned, his chief London residence, the medieval Palace of Westminster, was destroyed by fire. So he was forced to make frequent use of the Tower.   He began building his new palace at Bridewell. Some time after 1529 Cardinal Wolsey gave him York Place which Henry VIII transformed into Whitehall Palace. And soon after that he began to build St. James Palace.   As part of his building program, Henry VIII extensively renovated the royal apartments in the White Tower, overhauled the rest of the buildings comprising the Tower, and rebuilt the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula which had been destroyed by fire.   All this work took time, and soon the renovations to the Tower had to be completed in a hurry. Henry VIII had just married Anne Boleyn and wanted her to be crowned ..."with all ceremony", which meant residence in the Tower.   Anne arrived at the Tower in a river procession from Greenwich, just as Henry VIII's mother, Elizabeth of York, had done years before. Henry VIII was at the Tower to greet Anne upon her arrival. That evening there was a great banquet in the White Tower, with music, fireworks and salvoes from the Tower guns.   Like Elizabeth of York, Anne also returned to the Tower to die. But not in childbirth. She was found guilty of adultery and treason in a trial held in the Great Hall of the White Tower and executed on Tower Green   The only other of Henry's wives to have a coronation preceded by a procession from the Tower was Catherine Howard. And like Anne, her cousin, she also returned to the Tower to be executed for adultery and treason.   Henry VIII never returned to the Tower again.   The building continued at the Tower, however; A new Jewel House was built south of the White Tower. Until then the Crown Jewels were kept at Westminster.   The Queen's House was completed in its final form.   The Tower, always a great fortress, adapted to the new age of artillery. Guns were positioned on various towers, including the White Tower, to command both the city and the River Thames. The roof beams had to be strengthened in order to carry the weight.   Usually the guns had no more than a ceremonial function. However, when anti-foreign riots broke out in the city during the early reign of Henry VIII, he used the guns to try and subdue the mob. It didn't work.   The Tower had been used as an arsenal since the 14th century. Henry expanded that. Within a few years of his accession the Tower held so many guns a visitor noted "Hell itself could not resist so powerful a force".   Though Henry bought many of the arms from foreign sources, he also brought gun founders to London and set up a gun foundry in the Tower or close to it. He also set up a gunpowder mill.   Henry had so much ordnance he used all available space within the Tower for storage. When he ran out of room in Tower itself he built a new warehouse.   Unfortunately, the workmen didn't take proper precautions when storing the gunpowder. In 1548 the Lion Tower was badly damaged by an explosion.   The ordnance stored at the Tower supplied not only Henry's Army, but his Navy as well.   Today Henry's largest gun, 5 tons, which was used on his flagship The Great Harry is once again in the Tower along with guns from The Mary Rose.   After Henry VIII's death all his personal armor was stored in Greenwich Palace, but one suit was brought to the Tower by the end of Elizabeth I's reign. The rest were transferred in the 17th century. They can still be seen there today.       Tower Menu Tower Hill Tower Green Queen's House Tudors Prison     Main Menu E Mail