ENGLAND TRIP: Day 5: Part 2: Leeds Castle Renovations / Lady Baillie

Here's more about our visit to historic Leeds Castle!

Leeds Castle and Moat

HENRY'S CASTLE RENOVATIONS 
Henry VIII lowered the original defensive walls of the castle (it was built in the 1000s) to make the castle more of a retreat than a true castle. The lowered walls are seen out front against the water of the moat.
  In the lower part of the castle (back) he added the second floor and the windows to the keep that faced the moat. Those large windows were part of Henry VIII's dining hall.
  MORE ABOUT HENRY VIII's RENOVATIONS in the next blog. 

LATER CASTLE RENOVATIONS
The part of the castle closest to you was added after Henry VIII's time. A later owner, Lady Baillie, wound up gutting and renovating the entire inside. She also had the drawbridge removed that was used during Henry VIII's time.

WHO WAS LADY BAILLIE? 

VIDEO:   Here's a video we took inside one of the rooms in Leeds Castle where Lady Baillie's portrait hung. The tour guide provides an explanation of who Lady Baillie was, and the history of the room.

In 1925, Leeds Castle became the home of Olive, Lady Baillie (1899 – 1974). She was an  heiress, landowner and hostess. She married and divorced several times. In 1925, she married Arthur Wilson Filmers. When the Wilson Filmers bought Leeds Castle it was in a poor condition,  having not been lived in since 1924, and parts of the grounds were overgrown. 

According to Wikipedia, for the remainder of her life, the future Lady Baillie spent a large portion of her inherited fortune on the restoration of the castle and its associated buildings, and on the park and estate. She initially employed Owen Little, a Surrey architect, to carry out work on the entrance lodges and the stable yard. Much of the internal restoration of the castle at that time was designed by the French designer Armand-Albert Rateau. The work was carried out by craftsmen from France and Italy, as well as from Britain. Later, between 1936 and 1967, Lady Baillie worked with the French designer Stéphane Boudin in planning further restorations and improvements to the castle.  On her death the castle was bequeathed to a charitable trust to enable it to be open to the public.

ENGLAND TRIP: Day 5: Part 1: Leeds Castle

On the 5th day we took a great bus tour to a number of places outside of London. The first stop was LEEDS CASTLE.  

Leeds Castle, set on two islands on the River Len in the heart of Kent in England, has been fortified for more than 900 years. It was built in 1082 and added onto in the 1500s. 

Henry VIII, Queen Mary I, Queen Elizabeth I,

Built in 1119 by Robert de Crevecoeur as a Norman stronghold, Leeds Castle descended through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s. What form this first castle took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following centuries.  In 1278, the castle became the property of King Edward I. 

VIDEOS IN THE CASTLE: 

We made several short videos while at Leeds Castle. The first video is an introduction to the castle from the outside. 

King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon lived here. It was gutted and renovated by a woman named Lady Bailley. She was an heir to the Standard Oil Company fortune (she inherited it through her uncle).

Many of the rooms were in a 1930s style, and nothing was left in the Tudor style. It was cool, however, to see where Henry VIII lived before Hampton Court, but disappointing that there was nothing left from his time.  The castle was voted "Britian's most beautiful castle" (on the outside).

The second video is in the Queen's bedchamber.

Fireplace has the "Tudor roses" on it- identifying it as built for Henry VIII's family

ANY GHOSTS IN THE CASTLE?  I didn't sense anything but according to the website "Haunted castles of Britain" there's a ghost of a big black dog that haunts the castle.  The website says "the ghost that is said to haunt the castle is a black dog, described by a witness as a 'curly-haired retriever' which would 'appear and disappear within moments, sometimes fading into a wall or passing through a closed door.' The dog has come to be associated with a death or other misfortune befalling a member of the castle owner's family.
This is strange given the fact that many years ago a woman was sitting by a window when she saw the dog disappearing into a wall. The woman went to investigate the creature and the window by which she had been sitting collapsed, the masonry landing on the spot where she had been sitting just moments before."

The third video is about the Banqueting Hall in Leeds Castle. 

A Museum for Idiots

I recently read about the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. that has displays where life-size dinosaurs still tread the Earth, shoulder-to-shoulder with humans. UGH.
   As a scientist and an educated person, I'm outraged. These STUPID, yes, STUPID so -called ultra-conservative "religious" people (who give other religious people a bad name) created a museum that says the world began 6,000 years ago and everyone and everything just magically appeared all together. What a crock of crap.
 - What's worse is that people believe this stupidity.
Homo sapiens and velociraptors missed each other by a good 65 million years!!!!

  1) The Supreme Court has ruled that it's illegal for creationism to be taught in public schools, as a violation of the separation of church and state, so public school field trips are out. 
  2) Anyone that says a 2,000 year old book (the Bible) states scientific fact, when people at the time it was written didn't know anything about Science, the world, physics, weather, biology, etc. -- -is a FOOL. We have scientific PROOF of so many things.  The Earth is billions of years old. Anyone that doesn't believe that is an uneducated MORON. Period.

Want to read more about this stupid place? 
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/creation-museum-evolves-hoping-add-life-size-ark-170347907.html

Great Progress for Chance the Foster Dog

A proud moment- Chance conquers Hill number 1!

Our foster dog, Chance the Weimaraner is making remarkable progress since his hip surgery, where the doctor cut off the ball at the end of the leg, so that the leg would slide back in place. Since then, Chance has shown remarkable progress and we've been helping him use his leg.  

One of 2 large hills Chance conquered!

-  During a lunchtime walk, Chance (and the other dogs) went on a good 25 minute walk with me, and we went up TWO hills. The doctor told us to get Chance to walk up hills. Chance did a great job and used his weak leg (its weak because half the muscle withered when it was bent behind his butt) the entire way!  Here are a couple of pictures and a short video to show the progress.
   - Chance also can come down the stairs (13 steps) as long as I hold his backside straight (his back tends to lean to one side, away from his strong leg). This past weekend, with some butt support, he was actually able to CLIMB the 13 stairs (treats helped)!  Amazing!

DOMA -More GOP crap - Why DOMA is Unconstitional

On July 4th, the U.S. Department of Justice appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of  the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  Even if the court decides to hear the case, the earliest that arguments would be heard is in September with the court's decision rendered in June 2013.  Until then, the Federal Government's ban on recognizing the legality of same sex marriages stands.

 

SO- What did the Republicans in the U.S. Congress do?  They know of the shaky constitutionality of DOMA, so they have proposed a bill that will strip the lower federal courts of jurisdiction in hearing cases that deal with the constitutionality of DOMA.  See below. This is just sneaky, underhanded, corrupt and outright abuse of power.

 

From a media brief:

“Today, Speaker (John) Boehner and House Republicans decided to waste more taxpayer funds to advance a position rejected by four different courts and to defend discrimination and inequality before the highest court in the land.

   “Republicans know that DOMA is constitutionally suspect; in fact, House Republicans actually passed a bill to strip federal courts of jurisdiction to consider DOMA’s constitutionality. In contrast, House Democrats have defended the independence of the federal judiciary and the role of judicial review."

 

 Tom saw this rather cogent outline of an argument for why DOMA is unconstitutional:

 

*************************************************************************************************** 

What the Supreme Court Should look at to strike down the "Defense of Marriage Act." According to the Declaration of Independence, we start with the basic premise that:

* Everyone is created equal and that everyone is endowed with the same rights.

Add to that the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment:

* Everyone has the same rights, plus
* States cannot make or enforce laws that abridge privileges, deprives a U.S. citizen of life, liberty, or property without due process, or denies equal protection under the law to any U.S. citizen living within their jurisdiction.

Marriage has long been established as a federally protected civil right, grounded in the U.S. Constitution as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In Loving v. Virginia, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for the majority:

"The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men."
OK, so now,

* Everyone has the same rights,
* States cannot make or enforce laws that abridge privileges, deprives of life, liberty, or property without due process, or denies the equal protection of the law to any U.S. citizen living within their jurisdiction, and
* Marriage is a FEDERAL civil right essential to an individual's pursuit of happiness.

Connecting the dots, any State law that bans same sex marriage, or refuses to recognize the legality of same sex marriages that are performed in other States, is unconstitutional.

ENGLAND TRIP: Day 4: Part 14: London Bridge

We didn't get a chance to walk across Tower Bridge, but we did take our pictures in front of it while standing at one of the walkways in the Tower of London. The Tower Bridge, however, has an interesting history.

Rob with the Tower Bridge in the background

HISTORY OF LONDON BRIDGE:   
London Bridge refers to several bridges that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge constructed from concrete and steel. It replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure.

IS LONDON BRIDGE HAUNTED?  - Remember in the last blog about the Traitor's Gate that as Queen Catherine Howard was passing London Bridge, she saw her adulterous lover's head on a spike at the bridge? Well, according to Haunted Happenings U.K. there's a lot of skulls that were once on spikes (who had been executed and had their heads cut off) that are now in the waters beneath the bridge. Many bones have been excavated, including many skulls with holes in them (from the spikes).

Tom with the Tower Bridge in the background

A second happening is also responsible for ghostly cries heard beneath the bridge. In 1290, King Edward I expelled Jews from England. Many jews were loaded on a barge that was beached on a sandbar in the middle of the river. The captain had the jews disembark and stand on the sandbar. As the tide came in, the captain returned to the ship and left the people to drown. Their cries are said to be heard today, according to Richard Jones, owner of "Walking Haunted London." 
 
Aside from the gloomy feeling of despair and heaviness in the air (from the emotional fear, most likely), footsteps and even children's voices are heard on the Bridge.

SOME ADDITIONAL HISTORY FROM TOM: 
While Catherine Howard (one of Henry VIII's wives) was still quite young, she was sent to live with her step-grandmother, who was not so watchful over her staff.  It was said that the ladies of the household would have men back to their dormitory in the evenings.  It was during this time that Catherine, as part of her education, was tutored by one Henry Manox.  Manox had an affair with the very young Catherine, though he was not executed because sexual relations could neither be proven, nor did either of them admit to the affair; although the step-grandmother had walked in on them several times.

 

Catherine Howard also had an affair with two other men, Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpepper.  There is some belief among historians of the time that Francis and Catherine really did love each other, although their love letters to each other were intercepted and burned by the step-grandmother. 

 

FURTHER: Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpepper were tried at Guildhall at the same time on December 1, 1541. Francis was found guilty of high treason; not because he had slept with the Queen after her marriage, but because his appointment to Catherine’s household was seen as intent to continue the affair at the risk of the succession of the crown of England. Both Francis and Thomas were sentenced to death by hanging, drawing and quartering. Both men appealed to the King for their sentences to be commuted; only Thomas Culpeper was granted a beheading.  Francis Dereham died a full traitors death by hanging, drawing and quartering on December 10, 1541. Both of their heads were mounted on London Bridge with Culpeper’s; Catherine would have passed them on her way to the Tower via the Traitor's Gate in February 1542.

 

ENGLAND TRIP: Day 4: Part 13: Tower of London: Traitor's Gate/ Ravens

The final entry on our fourth day in London is about the Traitor's Gate in the Tower of London.

THIS HISTORY: 
 According to http://www.castles.me.uk/traitors-gate.htm, the Traitor's Gate is a water-gate under St Thomas's Tower that goes into the Thames River. For over 400 years, it was known as 'Traitors' Gate' because of the number of prisoners who passed through the gate were accused of treason. 
   The barge that would take prisoners into the Tower of London through the gate ferried them past London Bridge where the heads of recently executed traitors were displayed on the roof of the stone gate house. The heads were placed on spikes, attached to poles and displayed on the Bridge. 

 FAMOUS PEOPLE PASSING THROUGH THE GATE:

Looking at the Traitor's Gate and Thames River beyond.

   Even one of Henry VIII's former wives, Catherine Howard (also sentenced to death) had to pass the gruesome sight of the head of her lover Thomas Culpepper on her journey to the Tower of London and Traitors Gate. This grisly practice continued until around 1678. In addition to Catherine Howard, Anne Boleyn went through the Traitor's gate. She was 29 when she was charged with treason, adultery and incest. On May 2, 1529 she was brought into the Tower. Both Sir Henry Norris and the Queen's brother, George Boleyn, were also arrested and taken by barge and through the Traitors Gate entrance.

OUR EXPERIENCES:  Tom felt a "gentle swaying" on a spot that seemed to have energy off to the side of the gate. When I (Rob) walked over there, despite the cold and the rain, I felt a warmth in that same spot. There was definitely energy there, and it felt like residual emotional energy (from the trauma of the people who passed through there that were sentenced to death). We later went through other towers that were also filled with uncomfortable energy.  **For anyone who doesn't understand, think about walking into a room full of people at a party and feeling uncomfortable because you don't know anyone, or you think people may mistreat you- it was that kind of feeling. The bottom line is that I do NOT want to return to the Tower of London. It was filled with BAD energy and made me very uncomfortable. However, I did find it historically interesting. 

WHY ARE RAVENS KEPT AT THE TOWER OF LONDON? We learned that 7 ravens are kept at the Tower of London because of a superstition.  The presence of the ravens is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the Tower; a superstition holds that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.   HERE"S OUR VIDEO OF THE RAVEN NAMED MERLIN ->




 

CHANCE UPDATE! (Our Foster Dog)

Left: Chance / Right: Sprite

 Chance is doing extremely well. He goes on walks with us and the other three dogs now (we take them early morning and late at night, if the night time isn't too oppressive). He's amazing and determined.
 DOGGY DAY CARE: - He went to Doggy daycare on Monday when we didn't have power (so he and the others would be kept cool) and appeared to enjoy it. He gets along so well with other dogs. He also came back and was using his back leg (where the hip operation occurred) more, and putting it down more while walking. He continues to improve at an amazing pace.
STAIRS:  - He also learned how to come downstairs, as long as we gently keep his behind straight. (We're still carrying him upstairs until he
builds up the muscle in that leg that he didn't use for so long).
STITCHES OUT TODAY:  On July 5th, he gets his stitches out from his hip surgery and the removal of that benign fatty tumor. He's energetic, happy and follows us everywhere. He also loves putting a ball in his mouth and carrying it around or playing with it. I can tell he's getting better, because now he steals Dolly's toys when she's playing with them... and causes Dolly some Doggy Angst!
REHAB: We'll be talking with the doctor about physical therapy  and will work with him over the next couple of weeks to get him healthy for a forever home. He's such a great boy, and it will tear me up to see him go to another home, but we need to continue our rescue efforts to help another dog.

A Truly Happy 4th of July! /Projects/Dogs

It's a very Happy 4th of July because we have power and air conditioning and we've "won our independence" from the outside oppressive heat and humidity! :)  Hope you all have a very happy 4th of July!
  
- We had a nice breakfast with our friend Les this morning, and it was a great way to start the holiday.

Tom's completed rain barrel!

Tom installing overflow pipe in the rain barrel

- PROJECTS:  We followed it up with a lot of housecleaning and Tom worked on a project outside. He fitted a downspout to the rain barrel that I got him for our anniversary. He's also been fixing the kitchen sink! There's nothing Tom can't fix. 

 - DOGS: The dogs enjoyed a short walk with me this morning. I will say that it was a little challenging walking all FOUR dogs at the same time. Dolly and Franklin want to race, Chance limps, but is walking much better, and Sprite crawls and "puts on the brakes" every 5 minutes... so he needs encouragement (read: Dragging). 

Dolly! Credit: Red Leash Photography

L to R: Chance, Dolly, Franklin in the July 4tth Sun. Sprite was inside!

- LOCAL EVENT:  We ventured over to the local celebration at a Pond/park, and had volunteered to man a tent for marriage equality, but no one showed up, and after 30 minutes of being there, we left and returned home, where its MUCH COOLER. At 4pm, the outside temperature was 95F and the heat index was 99F. We are DONE with the summer, thank you!

WEEKEND VISITOR:  Our friend Mary Ann had the mis-fortune of visiting us this past weekend, when the Derecho knocked out our power and raised inside temperatures to 85 Fahrenheit in the house. It was miserable, but we did spend quality time together, and she was a trooper. Once the streets were cleared, we ventured out on Sunday for a brunch at Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis.
PICTURED LEFT: Mary Ann is usually allergic to dogs, but not our short-haired dachshunds and weimaraners! So, she posed for a photo with Sprite, Chance, Franklin and Dolly (in that order).

Our Disaster and Fires in the U.S. West

We're still recovering from this "Derecho" that spawned 90 mph winds and a 100 mile line of severe thunderstorms- There were millions of people who lost power from Illinois to Maryland. Fortunately, our power returned yesterday at 2pm. Here's a photo of tree damage on our street. There were countless trees taken down all over our town alone.

 On the other side of the country, fires are raging out of control in many states. Our friends Don and Cathleen narrowly escaped the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs last week, and we're grateful that their house still stands. Today at work I put together this satellite image and caption about those fires.

credit: NASA

NASA Sees Many Western U.S. Fires

NASA's Terra satellite passed over the U.S. west and captured an image of heat from several fires and their plumes of smoke over Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and South Dakota. Smoke from these fires also moved over Kansas and Nebraska.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard Terra has infrared capabilities that can detect heat from the various wildfires. The image was captured on July 2, 2012 at 18:10 UTC (2:10 p.m. EDT). In the MODIS images, fires, or hot spots are color coded as red areas in imagery and smoke appears in light brown. Images are generated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

In eastern Montana, the Ash Creek Complex Fire is located in the Custer National Forest. As of July 2, it had burned 170,000 acres and was 40 percent contained.

In Wyoming, smoke from the Fontenelle Fire, Arapho Fire and Oil Creek Fires are evident on the NASA imagery. As of July 3, the Fontenelle fire has consumed 52,386 acres according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Arapaho Fire has consumed 82,187 acres and is now 10 percent contained, according to inciweb.org.

In Colorado, the Waldo Canyon Fire continues to burn, but most of the smoke plume is obscured by clouds. The Waldo Canyon Fire has consumed 17,920 acres and the U.S. Forest Service calls it the most destructive in Colorado history, with 346 homes lost. It is now 70 percent contained.

In Utah, the Wood Hollow fire continues to generate smoke seen by NASA satellites. The fire has consumed 47,387 acres as of July 3, 2012 and is now 100 percent contained.

In South Dakota there are two fires burning: The Highlands Fire and the White Draw wildfires, both in the southwestern part of the state. The Highlands Fire is located about 14 miles southeast of Newcastle, WY and consumed 394 acres. The fire is 60 percent contained. The White Draw wildfire was estimated at over 7000 acres and growing, according to Inciweb on July 3, 2012.

Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team; Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Severe Storm Aftermath UPDATE: Finally OUT of the Dark: Day 3

SEVERE STORM AFTERMATH-  We had an Extreme "DERECHO" hit the Mid-Atlantic just before midnight Friday nite- with wind gusts as high as 90 mph in some areas (Hurricane force), leaving over ONE MILLION people in the dark (including us).  **Our friend MaryAnn flew in on friday afternoon to spend the weekend with us, and it was a miserable experience with no power and highs daily near 100F. She was a trooper, though.


FOR THE HISTORY OF THE DERECHO FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/events/svrwx_20120629/?goback=.gde_1858089_member_131685317

TODAY WAS Day 3: NO POWER. 85f in house. Near 100F Outside every day since power went out Friday night at 11:30pm. (It was 104F on Friday during the day).

****UPDATE**** At 1:45 p.m. EDT THE POWER WAS RESTORED*** 

Tom's folks still don't have power, so they'll be coming over tonight.   - We really take power for granted. 

THANKS: Last nite, thanks to our friend Ed, the dogs and I stayed with him (Tom refused to leave the house)... the dogs were distressed, and I've had several Asthma attacks, so I had no choice. We've checked on friends and neighbors, and Tom's folks have no power either.*But they have a Basement.


TIPS: 1) Stay in your basement at night.
2) PET TIPS- Keep your dogs and cats hydrated with a LOT of water/ Wipe them down with a wet cloth./ Take them in the backyard and hose them down /
3) OUT TRAFFIC LIGHTS- *Treat them as a 4 way stop!* - We saw a number of accidents because people don't stop! What's wrong with people?
4) OPEN WINDOWS AT NIGHT - temps fall into the 70s at night, and are usually in the 80s inside.

IMAGE-     Derecho's aren't common in our area, but occur more often in the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley.  The derecho climatology map below puts the D.C. area in a category of one derecho every four years. Credit: Storm Prediction Center

WHAT WAS THIS 100 MILE LINE OF SEVERE WEATHER?


Before Friday, June 29th, you may have never heard of the term "Derecho".  I'm sure by now, you're well aware of what it means.... and it's probably something you wish you never knew about or had to experience.
A large cluster of thunderstorms developed Friday afternoon on June 29th in Eastern Iowa and continued to intensify, as it marched East into Northern Illinois and Indiana.  A derecho is defined as a long lived wind storm that can travel for hundreds of miles with damage generally following a straight path.  This is where the term "straight line winds" come from.  The powerful thunderstorms travel very fast and as they accelerate, the storms sometimes tend to "bow".  That can result in wind gusts between 60 and 100 mph.  Take a look at a graphic, from the Storm Prediction Center, showing the over 600 mile radius the derecho traveled.
FULL STORY: http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2012/06/d-c-derecho-midwest-to-east-coast-destructive-storms-16018.html

ENGLAND TRIP: Day 4: Part 13: Our Weird Experience at Salt TowerGhosts

List of prisoners at the Salt Tower

There are a lot of ghosts in the Tower of London, and we ran into several of them. We're already mentioned the ghost of Anne Boleyn in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. One of the strangest things happened to BOTH of us at the Salt Tower. 

OUR WEIRD EXPERIENCE: THE GHOSTLY DOORWAY: The strangest thing that happened to us, happened to both of us as we were going into the Salt Tower. We were walking from tower to tower and reading the history. When we got to the wooden door that led into Salt Tower, I (Rob) opened it and walked through, closely followed by Tom. We BOTH heard a loud humming (there's nothing but a small light in the room, so it wasn't that) IN THE DOORWAY and we FELT vibrations, like pulsing of waves of energy!  Neither of us have ever experienced this before and we were both surprised. Tom looked at me and said "Did you feel and hear that?"  I said "yes," and didn't know what it was. We confirmed that it felt like electricity. *We figured later that it must be some kind of portal associated with ghostly energy. -
   There were no other people in the tower at the time. 

Inside the Salt Tower

WHO COULD IT HAVE BEEN? LADY JANE GREY
We later learned that Lady Jane Grey's ghost was seen walking out of Salt Tower. She was queen for 9 days after Henry VIII's death. Mary's army defeated her and Jane was executed.

History of Lady Jane Grey at the Tower:   Lady Jane watched as her husband was taken to Tower Hill where he was beheaded. She saw his body being carried back to the chapel, after which she was taken to Tower Green where she was beheaded. She was only 17 years old. Lady Jane Grey’s ghost was last seen by two Guardsmen on February 12, 1957, the 403rd anniversary of her execution. She was described as a "white shape forming itself on the battlements". Her husband, Guildford Dudley, has been seen in Beauchamp Tower weeping.

Doorway of Vibrating Energy at Salt Tower

Some history of the Salt Tower (from http://www.castles.me.uk/salt-tower.htm) : History - The Salt Tower was once referred to as Baliol's Tower having once imprisoned John Baliol the King of Scotland in 1297 - 1299. Another prisoner was a man named Hugh Draper of Bristol who was imprisoned in the Salt Tower in 1561 under suspicion of Sorcery. Whilst he was imprisoned in the Salt Tower he carved a huge, incredibly intricate, astronomical clock which can still be seen. The inscription records that "Hew Draper of Brystow made this sphere the 30 daye of Maye anno 1561". Jesuits were also imprisoned here and their carvings depicting religious scenes can also be seen on the walls

Haunted History of the Salt Tower. We later found out that Salt Tower is one of the most haunted areas of the Tower of London complex. We learned that dogs won't enter it. We learned later that one of the Yeoman Warders was nearly throttled by a force unseen.  In 1864, a soldier guarding the Queen’s House saw an apparition so realistic, that he charged with all his might at the intruder with his bayonet, only to go straight through the figure!

Following are reports of other ghosts (source: http://www.guide-to-castles-of-europe.com/tower-of-london-ghosts.html) Other ghosts include Henry VI,   Margaret Pole, and the Princes in the Tower.  In January 1816, a sentry on guard outside the Jewel House claimed to have witnessed an apparition of a bear advancing towards him, and reportedly died of fright a few days later  In October 1817, a tubular, glowing apparition was claimed to have been seen in the Jewel House by the Keeper of the Crown Jewels, Edmund Lenthal Swifte. He said that the apparition hovered over the shoulder of his wife, leading her to exclaim: "Oh, Christ! It has seized me!" 

WATCH OUR VIDEO, FILMED RIGHT AFTER OUR WEIRD EXPERIENCE AT SALT TOWER ->

Other history:

The most grisly execution:  the 70 year old Countess of Salisbury, the last of the Plantagenets was murdered at the Tower of London. King Henry VIII had her executed for political reasons. The feisty Countess refused to put her head on the chopping block and ran, chased by the executioner with axe in hand. He hacked at her until she died. Her ghost has been seen reliving this truly gruesome act. Also the shadow of a great axe has been seen falling across the scene of her murder.