Tower of London (Part 2)

Here's a few other tidbits from the Tower of London that don't fit quite as neatly into a storyline...

I've seen the symbol E II R in several places, as on this gentleman's tunic:

This symbol is actually a Royal Cypher for Queen Elizabeth II Regina (kind of like a monogram).  This fellow is actually a Yeoman Warder, a bodyguard at the Tower of London.  They are also commonly known as Beefeaters (supposedly because they were allowed to eat as much beef as they liked from the King's table).

Here's another character who I caught hanging around inside the Tower.  I don't know who he is, but I liked the photo:

In the basement of the White Tower, they have a collection of curiousities, including this cool sculpture of a dragon:

The dragon is made from all sorts of medieval "parts", including muskets (claws), telescopes and scrolls (arms and legs), and helmets (body armour).

The Tower is also home to an unkindness of Ravens ("unkindness" is the collective group noun for Ravens).  There are always at least 6 Ravens at the Tower (they ususally have 6 plus 1 spare).

Legend has it that the Tower will fall (be taken) if the 6 resident Ravens ever leave the fortress:

Ever wonder why the English currency is called the pound?  Well, it turns out that the weight of 240 silver pennies was one pound of sterling silver.  When large transactions occurred, payment was often done in "pounds sterling".  Prior to 1971, the pound was worth 20 shillings, and each shilling was worth 12 pence. 

In 1971, the currency was decimalized, making the pound worth 100 pence (called "new pence" until 1981).

That wraps it up for the Tower of London!