Inside the Tower of London (2018) Season 8 Episode 2

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Transcript

00:01The Tower of London, a world-famous historic monument.

00:06There will be stories about murders!

00:09Over its thousand years of history,

00:12everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.

00:15King Richard III!

00:17Captain Howard!

00:18King Henry VIII declared!

00:19My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life!

00:25Cheeky!

00:27And this year, it's non-stop.

00:30Oh, wow!

00:31With grand commemorations...

00:33Jumping Jiminy's!

00:35...at the ancient fortress, including a royal visit.

00:39I truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.

00:41We've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold.

00:44Oh my gosh.

00:45While its dedicated staff...

00:47High five!

00:48Yeah!

00:49...work to keep everything on track.

00:51You know this is the queue for the toilet, don't you?

00:53No, I'm not feeding you anymore, no.

00:55No, no.

00:57In this episode, there's a new deputy governor in town.

01:01But how will she cope with her first major event?

01:04Actually, I'm quite nervous.

01:06I've been warned about the boots, and they're quite slippy.

01:09The fortress welcomes back its famous poppies for an ambitious new installation.

01:15The tower has stood for a thousand years.

01:18We can't be the ones who cause any damage to it.

01:20And the archaeology team begin the most important excavation in a generation.

01:25This dig could rewrite the tower map.

01:30Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.

01:42Another portcullis.

01:43We'd normally keep it closed to keep the peasants out.

01:46But we've opened it up today to let you lot in.

01:50The fortress has waved goodbye to winter,

01:53and it's opening its gates to a new season.

01:56Hundreds of tourists are already queuing up to hear the yeoman warders' tales of terror.

02:02That's where we executed Queen Anne Boleyn.

02:06If I'm being truthful, it is where we sell your children ice creams.

02:13Springtime is the best time in the Tower of London.

02:15It's absolutely amazing.

02:17The sun is shining, all the flowers in the moat are blooming,

02:20and all these beautiful people from around the world are coming to take in all the history.

02:25I'm talking about an execution so good that you get blood on your face twelve rows back.

02:29Twelve rows back!

02:34But the Tower isn't just a source of intrigue, scandal and torture.

02:39For almost a thousand years, it's played a crucial role in national events.

02:44From gun salutes for the state opening of parliament...

02:48..to royal visits.

02:50You're happy for a photograph, sir?

02:55And 2025 is no exception.

02:58It's going to be a busy one for yeoman jailer Clive Towle.

03:02This year we've got quite a few interesting things happening.

03:04We've got our Easter parade, a very important parade in the calendar.

03:08It's when we would march the constable to church.

03:11And also we're going to celebrate VE 80, featuring Europe 80 years on...

03:16..by bringing back 30,000 poppies from the Tower of London,

03:20which is quite exciting.

03:24In 2014, the Tower marked the centenary of World War I...

03:30..with a breathtaking display of ceramic poppies.

03:33888,246 of them, each representing a life lost in the war.

03:43Planted one by one, they flooded the moat in a powerful tide of remembrance...

03:48..capturing hearts, headlines and drawing millions of visitors from around the world.

03:54Even a few VIPs.

03:57Now 30,000 poppies are returning.

03:59This time to celebrate 80 years since VE Day.

04:04In a daring reimagining that hopes to be every bit as unforgettable and powerful as its predecessor.

04:12It's a similar remembrance that everybody recognises in this country.

04:16And, yeah, it just means a huge amount.

04:19The poppies will be unveiled in a major event at the start of May.

04:23But there's still a huge amount to organise.

04:25There, Clive. White, without sugar.

04:29Robin, thank you.

04:31Clive and his boss, Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller,

04:34are expecting the display to attract a lot of attention.

04:38So we'll have all the veterans in, maybe a royal or two, who knows?

04:42If we get the big crowds we're looking at coming in to look at the poppies,

04:45I should imagine we'll get big cues.

04:47There's a lot to think about, isn't there?

04:49So, request for leave denied that day for everyone.

04:51A project of this scale involves teams across the whole of the fortress.

04:57At the helm will be the Governor of the Tower, Brigadier Andrew Jackson.

05:02He wasn't in charge for the 2014 display and has a lot to live up to.

05:07It's so exciting because these poppies were...

05:10The word iconic is overused, but this was a real draw for millions of people.

05:15But there's time pressure to get this in place by the 6th of May,

05:20so the installation has got to run like clockwork.

05:24Another person responsible for pulling off this monumental event

05:28is project manager Ali Richardson.

05:31This afternoon she's meeting Governor Andrew and designer Tom Piper,

05:36who created the original installation...

05:38Hello, nice to meet you, Tom.

05:40To talk through some of the challenges.

05:44This is going to be our most high-profile event this year.

05:48It's really important that we make it spectacular.

05:51In 2014 the poppers were only displayed in the moat.

05:55This time the team wants to wow the public

05:58by creating an enormous steel structure

06:00that attaches the poppies to the oldest building in the tower.

06:03So, we've got the cascade coming off the White Tower

06:07that'll come from the crenellations up there.

06:10So, if you look up, they'll cascade down,

06:13hopefully get as far as that kind of middle window with some of them.

06:17It's like there's a droplet that's kind of come off that cascade.

06:19Ah, as if it's dropping down and then sort of bouncing back up.

06:22That will be amazing, and I'm sure it'll look absolutely incredible.

06:25And they'll cascade down the slope here,

06:28and that's the area that was damaged in World War II as well.

06:30Of course, yes.

06:31Wow, it's really poignant.

06:32It's a real connection with the tower's history.

06:35The Second World War hit the tower hard.

06:38From September 1940 to May 1941,

06:42London was devastated by night after night of bombing during the Blitz.

06:48Large parts of the city were flattened.

06:50There was significant damage to the fortress, and lives were lost.

06:54The Second World War hit the tower.

06:55The Second World War hit the tower.

07:0080 years from the end of the conflict.

07:02Let's go.

07:04Tom is hoping his poppy design will be a reminder of the suffering of war.

07:08So, the centrepiece of his display will be a striking installation he's called The Wound.

07:14So, this is where the wound is going to be.

07:16In a way, it's almost like a frozen explosion,

07:19about five-metre-high kind of spurs of poppies.

07:22Obviously, it's got to be engineered in such a way that it doesn't fall over.

07:25Yeah.

07:26But it needs to have a kind of real dynamic energy.

07:29To execute Tom's spectacular design,

07:32the team will not only have to find a safe way to attach an eight-metre-long metal structure

07:37to a grade-one-listed building,

07:40but also work out how to insert thousands of poppies into the protected lawns.

07:45We will need to be careful about how deep we plant them,

07:48because we need to have an eye to what's hidden under here that we don't already know about.

07:52It is a very sensitive site.

07:54You're dealing with, you know, ancient historic buildings,

07:58and we're trying to put big metal sculptures on top of them.

08:02I'm feeling quite nervous about it.

08:03It's a very high-profile project for me to be working on.

08:07The tower has stood for a thousand years.

08:09We can't be the ones who cause any damage to it.

08:14Coming up, the biggest archaeological dig in a generation

08:18becomes a hunt for a long-lost building.

08:21And this is actually the earliest plan of the Tower of London.

08:26But what makes it really interesting is what it doesn't show.

08:30The press is on to ensure the poppies arrive in one piece.

08:34I've looked at every single one, and there are nearly 30,000 of them.

08:39And some new arrivals adjust to life at the fortress.

08:43I'll walk out of the bathroom and forget that there are 30 people looking through the window

08:46and get the shock of my life.

08:48Don't you get a shock of their life?

08:49Don't you get a shock of their life?

08:58The Tower of London contains some of the most important buildings in the country.

09:03One of its jewels is the Chapel of St. Peter Advincula,

09:07built by none other than King Henry VIII over 500 years ago.

09:10That chapel today contains the celebrity A-list of the 16th century.

09:17It's part of an elite club that includes Westminster Abbey and St. George's Chapel at Windsor.

09:22They are known as Royal Peculiars, churches that are under direct authority of the King.

09:27It's also the final resting place of Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.

09:34From today, this iconic building at the very heart of the Tower will be closed for 11 months.

09:39So we've got the halls in to go all the way around here.

09:44Because the Tower team is starting a project to install a new lift to improve access to the interior.

09:50We've got the guys coming in to start lifting off the slabs.

09:53And then we'll start actually digging the excavation.

09:56Hopefully put a lift in.

09:57It's an incredible opportunity for building's curator, Alfred Hawkins.

10:03In order to install this lift, we're going to need to perform quite a large excavation.

10:08So hugely exciting from a historic and archaeological perspective.

10:12This will be one of the most important digs the Tower has ever done.

10:17Although the chapel was built in 1519,

10:20archaeologists believe there were buildings around this spot many centuries earlier.

10:24But they just haven't been able to prove where.

10:28The archaeology could actually provide us with evidence of those previous buildings

10:32and could help us create an even better story about the development of the Tower.

10:39An archaeological dig is like peeling back layers of time.

10:43And Alfred has managed to lay his hands on an old map of the Tower

10:47to help him work out what might be there.

10:50So this map is from 1597.

10:52And this is actually the earliest reliable plan of the Tower of London.

10:58But what makes it really interesting is what it doesn't show.

11:02Where we've got areas where there's nothing on these plans,

11:07if we find something in that area,

11:10then broadly we can date it to before this map existed.

11:14And then we're really discovering new elements of the Tower

11:17that haven't previously been documented elsewhere.

11:21The Tower's shape has changed over time.

11:24New buildings were constructed, but then vanished.

11:27One of the most famous of these is a chapel built by Edward I,

11:32who way back in the 1200s created much of the Tower as we know it today.

11:35It's believed that Edward's Chapel originally stood to the north of St Peter Advincula.

11:42But nothing has ever been found to confirm this.

11:46Alfred and his team are hoping the lift excavations might just reveal evidence of this lost chapel.

11:52This is really kind of a once in a generation opportunity to find the buildings that previously existed in this space and to share their stories.

12:04Away from the chapel works, the fortress is very much open for business.

12:10You want to see the Crown Jewels?

12:13I want to see the Crown Jewels.

12:14Fantastic.

12:15For the last 12 years, Yeoman Warder Matt Prime has been living and working at one of the most famous buildings in the world.

12:22Let's be heading off!

12:24Hey!

12:26But in just one month, he will hang up his Tudor bonnet for good.

12:30I'm about to retire. I'm finished with the Tower and off to sunny Spain.

12:34What I will really miss, you know, we joke about it, but I'll miss these guys, I'll miss the public.

12:40They're absolutely amazed by this fantastic place.

12:43You know, I'm part of making their memories.

12:46Matt has an extra special connection with the Tower.

12:50As in 2021, he and his wife Jo married in St Peter Advincula.

12:56This is a unique job. There is nothing like it.

12:59There's only 35 of us, and they say there's more people been in space that have been Yeoman Warders.

13:06And we'll finish our tour right next to where all the rotted bodies are buried.

13:11A little treat for the kids.

13:16All of the staff at the Tower have important roles, but one of the most visible has to be that of the Tower's Deputy Governor.

13:23A post which, for the last seven years, has been held by Naval Officer Debbie Whittingham.

13:29Well, the Deputy Governor is a title that's unique to the Tower of London, but their role is to be the head of all the operations.

13:36They're the person that is making everything work here.

13:39It's a critical role to the Tower, pulling all the operation of the Tower together so that we're all going in one direction.

13:48Debbie was the first ever woman to hold the Deputy Governor title.

13:51The Tower of London.

13:54And her time at the Tower featured many unforgettable experiences.

13:59From the reopening of the fortress after the Covid lockdown.

14:02I just feel really happy. The Tower's back.

14:06To the crowning of a new monarch.

14:08We're leaving history, but we're about to go and make it.

14:10But now Debbie has retired, and the aptly nicknamed Power at the Tower has left some supersized shoes to fill.

14:22Enter Brigadier Anna Kimber, who took on the role and a new home at the fortress in January.

14:28Thank you, Harry.

14:30After I got the job, we were able to come down and have a look at the house.

14:33And the arrival instruction, you turn right at the first drawbridge.

14:38Yeah, yeah.

14:39And I thought, that's probably the best set of directions I think I'll ever get.

14:43Anna had a 33-year career in the Army Logistics Corps, and can handle most things.

14:50But there are still some aspects to living in the world-famous fortress that she and her 21-year-old son, Seb, are getting used to.

14:57There are some rules and regulations for living here, understandably.

15:02When you can drive in, when you can park your car outside, when you can get your food delivery, timings like that.

15:08You can't leave the house without your wallet, otherwise you're not getting back in, that kind of thing.

15:12That sort of thing.

15:13Yeah.

15:14What's that happen to you?

15:15A few times, yeah.

15:17Often what I forget is that people are constantly here looking through your window,

15:21so I'll walk out the bathroom and forget that there are 30 people looking through the window

15:26and get the shock of my life.

15:28They get the shock of their life.

15:29Yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah.

15:30And you're kind of sharing your house with...

15:3313,000 people a day.

15:34...10,000 people a day.

15:35Yeah.

15:36But yeah, I wouldn't change it.

15:37Despite the curious neighbours, Anna is delighted to be taking her place in the tower's history.

15:43It is very unique.

15:45I mean, nothing beats living here.

15:46You know, our view is looking out onto a nearly 1,000-year-old building.

15:51I think the more the realisation sinks in, the luckier I feel.

15:55One of the first big projects Anna will oversee is the return of the poppies to the tower

16:02as part of its VE Day commemoration.

16:06Whilst most of the 2014 poppies were sold to the public to raise money for charity,

16:1130,000 of them were bought on behalf of the nation by two philanthropists.

16:16The poppies are now in the Imperial War Museum's collection.

16:20And curator Laura Clouting has taken them out of storage with project manager Ali Richardson.

16:26I've looked at every single one.

16:28And there are nearly 30,000 of them.

16:30And the man who created the poppies, Paul Cummins.

16:34What's it like for you seeing them again?

16:37It's a lot of memories, but I love the idea of coming back to life.

16:42They were made in Stoke, which were in Derby.

16:45We got 300 people separately to put them together with hands, so they looked different.

16:51And the idea was the body of the clay is the individual soldier who died,

16:57and the red is the uniform that they wore.

17:00So we're all the same, but different.

17:02Obviously this time we're bringing them back to the tower to commemorate the end of the Second World War,

17:08and we're so excited to have them back.

17:10It's a really nice symmetry.

17:12The poppy became a symbol of remembrance after the end of the First World War,

17:17which saw one of Britain's greatest ever losses of life in conflict.

17:21During the war, poppies were a common sight on the Western Front,

17:25flourishing in the soil, churned up by fighting.

17:29The poppy continues to be this way of giving pause, stopping and thinking

17:35about the lives that are lost in conflict.

17:38This year's display, though much smaller in scale,

17:42will hopefully have the same connection with the public.

17:45I can't wait to see a new iteration of them in this amazing sight.

17:50The Tower of London is just utterly spectacular.

17:53It'll be a really proud moment and relief to see them all there in situ,

17:59looking their finest, hopefully.

18:05Every year the Tower hosts a series of flagship events

18:12that shows off the fortress at its finest,

18:15including three state parades,

18:18the first of which will be on Easter Sunday.

18:21The ceremony dates back decades.

18:26Over at the Tower, more London sightseers watch the traditional parade

18:29of the Yeoman waters, inspected by the Governor of the Tower.

18:32It's a cherished tradition, featuring a customary inspection of the troops,

18:38which this year will be carried out by Deputy Governor Anna.

18:42Uh, we can put families here.

18:44OK.

18:45Normally, the parade begins outside the King's House

18:49and heads round Tower Green to the Chapel of St Peter at Vincula.

18:53But with the chapel out of action,

18:56Anna and Yeoman Jailor Clive need to make a rare change to the parade route,

19:02a high-pressure first assignment for our new Deputy Governor.

19:06So, Anna, first state parade. Are you ready to go?

19:09I'm ready. I think.

19:11So, I'm going to start here.

19:13And when the Chief is ready, he'll salute, introduce the General.

19:16And then you can both come out and inspect the troops.

19:19Starting at the front right, going along.

19:21So, you're not inspecting the back? You're just... No.

19:23You're just... Yeah, there'll be enough vaults in the front row.

19:27And then when we're ready to go, we will turn the parade to the right

19:30and then we're going to march.

19:31Once the parade reaches Tower Green,

19:34Canon Roger Hall will lead a special outdoor service of Easter celebration.

19:39It will be a huge change to tradition

19:42under the scrutiny of a massive audience.

19:45So, normally, it would be into the chapel?

19:47Yes.

19:48And it would actually take place inside the chapel?

19:51Inside, in the warm, you know, 180-odd guests.

19:55It would be packed. This time, no outside.

19:58So, more... You know, there'll be more than 180 people here on Sunday.

20:02Yeah.

20:03With thousands of visitors a day, it's quite a challenge for Anna.

20:07I don't think I've done a parade with this many people watching before.

20:10So, you want to get it right.

20:12I've been warned about the boots.

20:14They're quite slippy, so I'm slightly apprehensive.

20:17I might have to go and do something about getting them sorted out before then,

20:20so they don't go underneath me.

20:23Back at St Peter's, digging for the new lift is underway,

20:29and everyone is hoping that they might also find evidence

20:32of Edward I's long-lost chapel.

20:35There's a fine bag here...

20:38..and Sharpie.

20:40..but they've already made a discovery,

20:43and it's not the one they were hoping for.

20:46We have, unfortunately, encountered this very large route

20:50moving through precisely where the lift is going to be.

20:54We are in a conservation area,

20:56and so we now need to get lots of extra commissions

20:59from Tower Hamlets Council in order to cut this

21:02and progress with the excavation.

21:04To make matters worse,

21:06the route is entangled with some major pipework,

21:09and site manager Guy Seddon has got his concerns.

21:13As you can see here, we've got water pipes, gas pipes.

21:16There's even a sewer drain coming through the middle of it.

21:18We definitely don't want to hit a live sewer pipe,

21:20because otherwise we will flood the area with human excrement.

21:24It's a costly delay.

21:26The team will have to down tools

21:28with no idea of when they can restart.

21:31Coming up, Raven Master Barney gets his feathers in a twist.

21:38The raven was hiding from me, it seems,

21:40and actually laughed at me when I got back.

21:43And there's an exciting discovery

21:45relating to the lost chapel of Edward I.

21:48This is a building that no-one has previously located.

21:57It's lunchtime at the Fortress.

21:59Prime time to scavenge for the tower's legendary protectors,

22:04the ravens.

22:06Please be very careful if you stick your finger out.

22:09They will take that as food.

22:11Oh, careful.

22:12Rescue tiles and sandwich.

22:13We do feed them though, I promise.

22:15Despite their fascination with the beady-eyed sentinels,

22:18there's one thing the public struggle with.

22:20Raven Master Barney Chandler is regularly asked one question.

22:25The confusion between ravens and crows,

22:27how do you tell the difference?

22:28A few years ago, I actually got called out to Tower Bridge,

22:31believe it or not,

22:32because somebody thought they'd seen one of our ravens on the bridge.

22:35I hadn't seen one of our ravens for a few hours,

22:38so I just thought, I'll go and have a look.

22:41And lo and behold, when I arrived,

22:44the bird in question was a crow, and then I came back.

22:46It turns out the raven was hiding from me, it seems,

22:48and actually laughed at me when I got back.

22:50To find out the difference between his feathery flock

22:53and the humble crow,

22:55Barney has been doing some research.

22:57The main obvious difference is their size.

23:00The crow is about a third of the size smaller.

23:03There are other differences as well.

23:05The beacon of raven is more pronounced, more aggressive.

23:08Their throat feathers are more bushy on a raven.

23:11But even the way they fly as well,

23:14their manoeuvrability is second to none.

23:16A raver in California was seen flying upside down for up to a mile.

23:21Just head and shoulders, in my opinion, above the crow.

23:25But I'm biased.

23:27Almost as iconic as the ravens

23:30are the yeoman warder's world-famous uniforms,

23:33known as reds, which are worn on state occasions.

23:37And the top brass at the tower

23:39also get some pretty unusual headgear.

23:41Hi, come in.

23:43Deputy Governor Anna Kimber needs a ceremonial uniform

23:46for her first outing in her new role,

23:49the Easter State Parade.

23:52So I've got all my kit in here.

23:54This morning, Paul Bain-Monry, from Cooper Stevens Headwear,

23:58is fitting her with her bicorn hat.

24:01And he's brought along a rather strange tool of his trade.

24:05So we're going to measure your head with this machine called a conformature,

24:09which is designed in the 19th century in France.

24:13It's the best way of actually just to tilt the head back,

24:16of not only getting the shape of your head,

24:18but the size of it as well.

24:20Wow.

24:21Certainly snug.

24:22The conformature is made up of wooden levers

24:26that adjust around the head, taking its form.

24:29The levers are topped with pins,

24:31which are pressed into a card displaying the measurements.

24:35A little card then has the shape of your head.

24:40Oh, my goodness.

24:41How many of these a year will you make?

24:43On bicorns, about two a year.

24:45Oh, wow. That's quite special.

24:47Yes, it is, yeah. Goodness.

24:50It's a very dying craft.

24:52Meaning two-horned, the bicorn was the hat of choice

24:56for officers in the Army and Navy in the late 1700s.

25:00Naval officers wore it with the points front and back.

25:06Though the most famous bicorn enthusiast, Napoleon Bonaparte,

25:10preferred to wear his side to side.

25:14It's very distinctive.

25:15There's literally only a handful of people across the country

25:17that have got one.

25:18You know, never thought in a million years

25:19that I would have one as well.

25:21Very special, thank you.

25:23It'll be a real privilege to wear that for the first time

25:26on Easter Sunday.

25:32What sections can we stand on and what do we need to avoid?

25:35At the chapel excavation, there's good news.

25:38Permission has been granted to remove the enormous tree root

25:42that's called a halt to the dig.

25:44I've just got to go slow here, I think.

25:47But it's not going to be easy.

25:49The root is entwined with gas and sewage pipes,

25:52not to mention the job is a little outside gardener

25:55Kelly McPherson's usual remit.

25:57So, as gardeners here at the Tower of London, our typical jobs

26:02actually are to take care of the green spaces on the outside

26:06rather than underground.

26:08Armed with a saw rather than an axe, it's less of an execution,

26:12more precision surgery.

26:14We'll make another cut here and just see whether or not

26:16we can lift this section.

26:18One wrong move and the site could be flooded with the sewage,

26:22setting the dig back even further.

26:24Yeah.

26:26That's it.

26:28Catch it.

26:29Then suddenly, it's out.

26:31Oh, we'll remove this.

26:32Yeah.

26:33OK.

26:35You're most welcome.

26:36After a two-week delay, the team are keen to make up for lost time.

26:43Their hope is that through excavations for the new lift,

26:47they may unearth clues as to the whereabouts of Edward I's lost chapel

26:52that's been missing for centuries.

26:54And Alfred thinks he might have uncovered something significant.

26:58He's discovered compacted layers in the ground.

27:02And it looks like it could have been burnt in a fire.

27:08We often find deposits related to burning.

27:11The tower is an industrial place.

27:13However, this is a compacted layer of burning,

27:17which suggests that there was a large burning event.

27:21This layer of ash, compressed over time,

27:24is likely to have been caused by a large building being destroyed by fire.

27:32But could it be connected to the chapel of Edward I?

27:36To discover more, Alfred has turned to the archives

27:39and he's found something intriguing.

27:42It says here in 1512,

27:44the chapel in the Tower of London

27:47and many other places in England were burned.

27:50And so that tells us that Edward I's chapel must have burnt down

27:58and then been replaced with the current chapel of St Peter at Vincula itself.

28:03So what we may have found is actually the destruction of Edward I's chapel in 1512.

28:12If this discovery is connected to Edward's chapel, it would be a huge breakthrough.

28:18And excitingly, more clues have come to light as the team sift through the earth removed from the excavation.

28:25So another interesting find that we've made is a number of pieces of glazed medieval tile.

28:32And these are really important because they are so decorative and so lavish.

28:37And this is a key and integral part of medieval architecture in displaying power.

28:43Decorative tiles would be found in important buildings such as a palace, a castle or a church.

28:51But Alfred and his team need more concrete evidence.

28:55It doesn't say this is definitively Edward I's chapel,

29:00but this dig could rewrite the tower map.

29:03The excavation means that the chapel of St Peter at Vincula is out of action.

29:10So this year there will be an Easter service outside on Tower Green.

29:15Chapel clerk Yeoman warder Terry Briggs is preparing a one-of-a-kind artefact for a key role in the ceremony.

29:24So this is the Ethiopian cross that is brought out for any services that take place outside of the chapel.

29:30I'll be carrying this on Easter Sunday.

29:34The cross was given in memory of those killed in Abyssinia and Eritrea in the Second World War.

29:41The wood dates back to William the Conqueror.

29:45The silver that goes around it, that was done by a family out in Ethiopia from melted down coins.

29:52It'll be prior to place on Sunday.

29:55So I've got to make sure that when I'm stood there holding it,

29:58it's looking extra, extra special.

30:02Easter Sunday is fast approaching,

30:04and it will be an especially moving day for Yeoman warder Matt Prime,

30:09who's retiring after 12 incredible years.

30:12Before he leaves, he has another rite of passage to complete,

30:16and it's one that's been central to his life at the tower.

30:20This is my last tour, last public tour of my career.

30:23I'm feeling a little bit nervous, actually.

30:25I've done nearly 4,000 tours, but, yeah, I want to do a good one for my last one.

30:29OK, guys, if you're here for the Yeoman warders tour, please come right in.

30:35Matt's unique. His tour's always been very good.

30:38He had stuff that we never heard of before.

30:40Who doesn't want to interact with a monkey dressed in human clothing?

30:45We plagiarise it, it doesn't work, because his timing's better than ours.

30:49He named himself the head of the church in England,

30:51and he signed his own divorce papers.

30:53Genius!

30:55That would have saved me £75,000.

30:59It is beginning to sink in, it's real.

31:02You know, it's not a job, it's a way of life.

31:05You know, you live and breathe it 24-7.

31:07But there's a whole new part of my life starting,

31:10and I'm looking forward to it.

31:11I enjoy the tour, my name's Yeoman Ward and Matt Prime.

31:15I'd like you guys to do something for me.

31:17Can I just stop?

31:19Yes.

31:20Could you just step off of it?

31:25OK, sorry to interrupt the tour, ladies and gentlemen.

31:28Now, Matt is going to be quite upset to hear this,

31:32but it's his very last tour.

31:34Yay!

31:36So please, show your appreciation for Matt one more time.

31:43Thank you very much.

31:45Thank you very much.

31:46Cheers.

31:48Congratulations.

31:49It's not enough to go round, I do apologise.

31:51Nice for him to come and shake your hand and give you a hug and say goodbye.

31:55So it is a little bit emotional, I shall go home and regroup.

31:59Thank you guys.

32:00Finally got a laugh.

32:01Get off the grass.

32:02While Matt prepares to say goodbye to his uniform,

32:14Anna's brand new one is taking shape.

32:17Armed with her unique head measurements,

32:20craftsman Murad Suleiman is constructing Anna's bicorn hat,

32:24using a centuries-old technique.

32:27It's just hands, irons, heat.

32:30The one-of-a-kind process began weeks ago.

32:33We start with the felt hood and then what we do,

32:37we steam this until it goes really soft

32:41and then we pull it and nail it to the body.

32:45The felt is then hardened with several layers of linen,

32:48stiffened with a natural glue and laminated together with the iron.

32:53Murad's now got the nail-biting job of cutting it to size.

32:58You know, this is months' worth of work and comes down to this knife,

33:04making sure you don't slip.

33:13And there we are.

33:14I think that's perfect.

33:15Now this has got to go on the fire.

33:17Using the heat, Murad moulds the hat by hand,

33:21a skill he has spent years perfecting.

33:24The longer you do it, you know what you're looking for.

33:28See that lovely shape there?

33:30That's beautiful, that.

33:32To give it its opulent exterior,

33:35the bicorn is covered with black silk.

33:38This is all about patience.

33:44Oh, you've got to start all over again.

33:47I have to wait until the hat's happy.

33:50It's nice.

33:54As they say, sweet as.

34:01Back at the tower,

34:03the dig team have made a major discovery.

34:06After unearthing the tiles and the burnt remnants

34:09of what could be part of Edward I's missing chapel,

34:12the team have dug down even further back in time.

34:16So, as we've excavated,

34:18we've come down onto this patch of stonework.

34:21And this is fantastically interesting for us

34:24because the way in which this stonework is formed,

34:27stepping out towards me,

34:29is a foundation for a very large building.

34:33And so the only building

34:35that would require foundations as massive as this

34:39would be Edward I's chapel.

34:42Buried for hundreds of years, hidden from sight,

34:45it looks like Alfred and the team

34:47may finally have found evidence of Edward's missing chapel.

34:50But it's not where they thought it would be.

34:53What it looks like is that the Tudor chapel

34:56that we know now

34:58is actually built on top of and reusing

35:01the foundations of Edward I's chapel.

35:04This was not what anyone was expecting.

35:07Edward I's chapel

35:09appears to have roughly the same footprint

35:11as the current Henry VIII's chapel,

35:14with an annex at one end

35:16that was added at some point in its history.

35:18All of the previous work on the chapel

35:23thought that the previous chapel built by Edward I

35:27must be away somewhere to the north

35:30behind the current building.

35:32And we've actually discovered that the opposite is true.

35:35And so this completely revolutionises the map of the tower.

35:39For Alfred, this is a once-in-a-career discovery.

35:44We've found a lost building

35:46that for the last 500 years

35:49has only existed in words.

35:51This is one of the most exciting things

35:54that has been found at the tower in decades.

35:57Coming up...

36:01Come on, buddy, set!

36:03Anna faces her first major event at the tower.

36:06But would it all go smoothly?

36:08Actually, I'm quite nervous.

36:09There'll be thousands of people watching.

36:11And Matt's final parade has arrived.

36:14It's a very special uniform to put on

36:17and I shall take it off with a little lump in my throat, I think.

36:20It's Easter Sunday morning

36:29and the tower is preparing for a highlight in its calendar,

36:32the Easter State Parade.

36:35With the chapel of St Peter Advincula out of action,

36:38this year the parade will end in a special service on Tower Green

36:42in front of enormous crowds.

36:45So, I'm going to need some help to put my boots on.

36:48Yeah.

36:49All eyes will be on new Deputy Governor Anna Kimber,

36:52who is overseeing the event.

36:54But she's already had to call in the cavalry

36:56in the shape of her son Seb

36:58to help her get into her new state uniform for the first time.

37:02So, if you don't mind just pulling it down as tight as you can.

37:06That's quite fiddly, isn't it?

37:08It is quite fiddly.

37:10Getting ready is not a one-person job.

37:12It's a million and one things that you need to have.

37:15These two clips here.

37:20Gosh, yeah, this could take up a second.

37:24Oh.

37:26I'd like to say I can breathe in, but I don't think I can.

37:30Done? Yeah.

37:31The final touch is Anna's brand-new bicorn hat,

37:35now complete with swan feather plume

37:38and a Royal Logistics Core button as a nod to her past.

37:45There we go.

37:46Does that look all right?

37:47Yeah, it's on straight.

37:48The hat fits really, really well.

37:49And it's really, really comfortable.

37:52She looks amazing.

37:53She's clearly done a good job.

37:54Yeah, you've done an amazing job.

37:57As well as inspecting the troops for the first time,

38:00Anna's been asked to do a reading in the ceremony

38:03in front of hordes of tourists.

38:05And if it wasn't enough,

38:06there's something else she's still worrying about.

38:10The leather soles on these shoes are really,

38:12they're really slippy.

38:13Actually, I'm quite nervous.

38:15There'll be thousands of people watching,

38:17but I am really looking forward to it.

38:24Outside, families are packing into the fortress

38:26with no idea they're about to witness

38:28a very rare Sunday service.

38:32Where have you come from today?

38:33Ah, Peru.

38:34Oh, Peru, goodness me, long way.

38:36Yeah.

38:41At precisely 11.45am,

38:43Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller

38:45leads the Yeoman body out to muster

38:47in front of the King's house.

38:50Yeoman body, son!

38:52We're ready for your inspection for the Easter parade.

38:55And the new deputy governor steps out

38:57to inspect her troops.

38:59Inspection complete, sir.

39:11Permission to carry off.

39:12Yeah, yeah.

39:16Yeoman body, fire the left.

39:18Quick!

39:19March!

39:20As they march to Tower Green,

39:31Anna must stay in step with the Yeoman warders.

39:38But can her new boots handle the slippery cobbles?

39:41Get my body!

39:43Hop!

39:49The Tower comes to a standstill

39:51and all eyes turn to the Reverend Canon Roger Hall.

39:54We are gathered here as in age-old tradition,

40:04Yeoman warders and officers of the Tower of London

40:09for this Easter parade.

40:11Then Anna takes to the stage.

40:18And he said unto them,

40:20Be not affrighted.

40:22Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth.

40:26He is risen.

40:27He is not here.

40:29Behold the place they laid him.

40:31Watched by the Tower top brass.

40:33Neither said they anything to any man,

40:37for they were afraid.

40:40So it is that this Easter morning

40:43we once more rejoice in the triumph

40:46of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death.

40:52Happy Easter!

40:54Yeoman body, fire the left.

40:56Quick!

40:57March!

40:58Chapel clerk Yeoman warder Terry Briggs

41:03carried the iconic Ethiopian cross

41:06and remarkably it was recognised by someone in the crowd.

41:10The granddaughter of the silversmith

41:12who made this amazing cross

41:13was actually in attendance.

41:15This is used every Sunday for a church service

41:18inside the St. Peter's.

41:20And she could go back with some amazing stories

41:22for her grandfather who's going to be very proud.

41:24Being able to see the cross that my grandfather made

41:26is such an honour.

41:27I didn't know that his cross was going to be used

41:28at the Easter ceremony today

41:30and so it kind of was just a perfect set of coincidences actually.

41:35The Easter service has brought the community together.

41:38And as one tower story begins...

41:41It meant the world to have my family here.

41:43It makes it so much more special.

41:45I really enjoyed it.

41:46I was nervous beforehand.

41:48I won't lie.

41:49It's the first time I've worn uniform.

41:51Nothing fell off when I walked

41:52or I didn't fall over.

41:53I was worried about slipping.

41:54So, no, it's all good.

41:55I really enjoyed it.

41:56But I am quite glad that the first one is now done.

42:01Another ends.

42:03It was a little bit more sort of emotional than I thought it was.

42:06This is my last time in reds, which is a great honour.

42:09I mean, that's the king cypher on your chest.

42:11It's a very special uniform to put on

42:14and I shall take it off with a little lump in my throat, I think.

42:20Splendiferous.

42:22Thank you very much.

42:23Thank you very much.

42:25Next time, some new arrivals are causing quite a stir.

42:30Hello, mate.

42:31I've got the two new ravers at the Tower of London

42:33and they're sharing my kitchen.

42:35The ancient fortress prepares for one of its most complex events in years.

42:43It's a good test for us to see how we're going to get all these pieces into site safely and securely over our medieval drawbridges.

42:50What is that on me, mate? You are that here?

42:54And there's a brand-new discovery that changes everything we know about Queen Elizabeth I.

43:00This complete rewriting of history from one page to the next, that is spine-tingling.

43:06And it's a delicate page turner. Don't miss it next Thursday at 8.

43:11Followed by an iconic name in drama, Five's first Play for Today,

43:15stars Anita Dobson and Nigel Havers.

43:17It's never too late, brand-new next Thursday at 9.

43:21Head to Peru's lost city in a moment, Dan Snow face-to-face with an ice mummy,

43:26frozen in time for over 500 years.

43:28It's a pretty intense encounter in just a moment on Five.

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