Open My Audio Photo Book of the Day

Today was devoted to The Tower of London and specifically to the Chapel of St John.  When the Normans came to conquer England in 1066, much of their military success was due to their introduction of castles.  The lands of France and Normandy were full of castles, but castles were new to England. 

Castles are different from palaces and forts.  The former provide living quarters for nobility and the latter serve as defensive sites.  Castles provide the best of both – a palace for the king and his entourage to live, and fortification against attack.  The earliest Norman castles were motte and bailey, meaning that earth was piled up to create a small hill that was then topped with a timber tower, also called a keep.  The surrounding area was protected by a wooden fence, creating a small community with other buildings inside the wall.  The Tower of London started out this way until William the Conqueror determined that he wanted a castle that would overwhelmingly impress and intimidate the English.  As you will read in almost every history book, Norman architecture communicated to the people that the Normans were “here to stay.”

The Tower of London refers to the compound including the main tower and the surrounding buildings all enclosed by a stone wall.  (Today there are two stone walls.) The main building is known as the White Tower, due to the beautiful light colored stone used on its facing.  Construction on this stone tower began around 1078 and was completed around 1100.  Although a key role of the tower was defensive, it was a palace – a place for the king to live while in London.  In keeping with the religious practices of the day, therefore, a chapel was included in the tower’s plans.  In fact, the architect thought to be responsible for its design was a Norman monk named Gundulf.  Gundulf agreed to build this castle if he could also become the Bishop of Rochester, a cathedral nearby.

Thus, we have the Chapel of St John, one of the earliest Norman church interiors still existing and superbly preserved.  This church within a building is certainly not a great church or a cathedral, as it was designed to serve only the king and his household.  It is nevertheless quite elegant and lovingly maintained.  The architecture is early Norman (Norman is what we call Romanesque style in England) with semicircular arches, thick pillars, and cushion capitals.   The arches have no moldings.  The  main section has a stone barrel vault and the aisle groin vaults do not have any ribs,  demonstrating that ribs provide little if any support.  The groin vaults have stood for almost 1,000 years.  There is a second gallery level, but visitors are not allowed on that level.  I was fascinated by the cushion capitals as their craftsmanship is stunning and carefully planned.  The capital closest to the east (by the altar) has simple volutes, while the capital directly opposite is quite plain – and the only plain one.  I could not find out why, but every architectural detail would have been thoughtfully planned, so there must be a reason.  Most of the other capitals include a cross shape between two leaves. 

William I died before the Tower of London was completed.  His son, William II (better known as Rufus), died the same year the White Tower was completed and it is not known if Rufus ever worshiped there or not.  His brother, Henry I, would most definitely have lived and worshiped in this important building.

Today, most people associate the Tower of London as a prison where famous executions occurred in later centuries, rather than a palace that provided a London home for English kings.  But when still used as a palace, styles and practices changed, and private chapels were built replacing  the need for St John’s chapel.  Starting around 1312, St John’s chapel was used to store state records.  Fortunately, around 1858 Prince Albert convinced his Queen to restore the chapel to its original intent.  It remains an active place of worship to this day.