The Tower of London is without doubt one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions yet few people realised that it is built on a man-made prehistoric mound, the Normans’ favourite place to build their castles.

The Tower of London

In Welsh it is known as the Bryn Gwyn (Bryn = hill, Gwyn = white or holy) and is known in English as the White Mount. There are numerous legends attached to it, including that Julius Caesar stayed there. It is said that after Caesar had defeated Cassivlaunanus (the British King), he spared his life. They became great friends and Caesar was entertained at the Tower of London. Obviously, the castle itself is Norman so he couldn’t have stayed there but the surrounding fortifications and towers are much older and there is supposed to be some Roman walls in the oldest parts of the complex.