Despite being a guide of 10 years standing, I never used to go in the Tower of London very much. I don’t like crowds and I always felt having guide in an attraction was a bit surplus to requirements or something ‘anyone’ by that I suppose any guide could do.
Thus spring and summer however I have been 6 or 7 times despite not advertising or even mentioning it once on my website or those famous tour sites.
I guess there is some value for visitors to have something of an expert with them rather than either go round in a big group or bumble around from one spot to another. At a site where you could easily spend all day, there is something to be said for finding the highlights in 2 or 3 hours and avoiding the sometimes long queues.
In a Royal Palace with the Crown Jewels, fantastic armoury, dungeons and all sorts else, it is far from the most impressive artefact but one thing I always enjoy seeing is this fantastic old executioners axe and head block.
When I say enjoy, I suppose it’s more like a highlight for me like seeing the body armour of King Henry VIII who appears the only king in 1,000 years who thought himself a porn star.
Isn’t it impressive in a ghoulish sort of way. It’s hard to believe that parts of the Tower of London were a tourist attraction even when executions were still going on.
This axes was last used in an official capacity around 1747. It was always well worth getting an experienced Executioner and paying them a bit of a gratuity in advance.
There could be few things worse in life or death than having an aggrieved, novice or worse still drunk Executioner who might take 3 or 4 swings on your back, shoulders and head before he gets it right.
I remember reading of one man who after several failed attempts to have his head cut off, actually got up and remonstrated with the Executioner that given he had given him a generous tip beforehand, he expected a somewhat swifter and more painless beheading!
Lets hope the poor souls who met their end here fared a little better. If you can’t have a good clean beheading in the Tower of London then where can you have one?
For another beheading related post then why not read https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2023/04/11/the-stained-undershirt-worn-by-king-charles-i-for-his-exocution/
Or for a whole book full of ghastly punishments then there is my book 101 Most Terrible Tortures In History.
Stephen Liddell 