Height: 22.5cm (8.8in)
Turned oak. Treen relic of the Tower of London comprising a stepped base with flared conical upper section rising to an onion shape finial, the base applied with a presentation plaque inscribed ‘This is a portion of a Beam / taken from the Council Chamber / in White Tower Tower of London / which Building was erected / by Gandulph Bishop of Rochester / by order of William the Conqueror / 1070.’
The White Tower was built to overawe the natives and to deter foreign invaders. It was used as royal palace, a prison, a storehouse, and a museum. It houses the 11th-century Chapel of St John the Evangelist, the Royal Armouries, and other treasures. From 1660 when the first paying visitors were admitted the displays included the Line of Kings (life size wooden sculptures on monarchs mounted on wooden horses attired in what was said to be their personal armour), and the Spanish Armoury comprising weapons and torture instruments purportedly taken from the Spanish Armada. In the second half of 19th century, the Office of Works undertook extensive remodelling and the collections were turned over to the War Office.