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Inside the Tower of London (2018) Season 8 Episode 4
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00:00There will be stories about murders!
00:04Over its thousand years of history, everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.
00:10King Richard III.
00:11Catherine Howard.
00:12King Henry VIII.
00:13Declared.
00:14My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life.
00:19Cheeky.
00:21And this year it's non-stop.
00:24Oh, oh!
00:25With grand commemorations.
00:27Jumping Jiminy's!
00:29At the ancient fortress, including a royal visit.
00:33I truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.
00:35We've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold.
00:38Oh my gosh.
00:39While its dedicated staff...
00:41High five!
00:42Yeah!
00:43...work to keep everything on track.
00:45You know this is the queue for the toilet, don't you?
00:47No, I'm not feeding you anymore, no.
00:50In this episode, the team must get nearly 30,000 fragile ceramic plumes safely into the tower.
00:58Obviously the poppies are very delicate, and if we drop the boxes, they will break, and that would be not a good thing.
01:08The ravenous ravens eat the beef eaters out of house and home.
01:11Something else?
01:12Chips?
01:13Ice cream?
01:14And emotions are running high at the tower.
01:18My father was in the war, and fortunately he came back.
01:23This is a reminder of the ones that never came back.
01:27Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.
01:39Hello.
01:40Can we have a selfie with you?
01:41Of course you can, absolutely, yeah.
01:44Look, we're all matching.
01:46It's 11am at the tower.
01:49Prime arrival time for tourists.
01:52Look at that, Bobby Dazzler, hey?
01:55Even after years working at the fortress, its 35 Yeoman warders can still never predict what the public might ask.
02:04The question I keep getting asked quite recently, do we get Amazon delivered?
02:09I got asked one day, excuse me, do you work here?
02:11I said, I don't know, what gave you that impression?
02:14How hot are we?
02:15I'm always hot, Mum.
02:17Oh, sorry, temperature-wise.
02:19Oh, sorry, yes.
02:20Despite their odd questions, the tourists are the lifeblood of the tower, with thousands of them passing over the drawbridge every day.
02:31To keep everyone safe, deliveries take place out of hours, but today the crowds are going to have to make room for a very special shipment that's arriving at the fortress.
02:42In his headquarters at the Bywood Tower, Yeoman jailer Clive Towle is watching closely.
02:49Today is a big day. We're expecting 30,000 poppies to be delivered from the Imperial War Museum.
02:55The fragile ceramic flowers are part of a spectacular display for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
03:02Now, normally, we get all this done before work starts, but it's just not going to happen like that this time.
03:07There's too many poppies. It's going to have to be delivered during a busy period.
03:13When the pallets have been unloaded and moved, we might then just need to unwrap them and get a box.
03:18Yeah.
03:19Yeah.
03:20Ali Richardson is the tower's poppy project manager, responsible for turning the plans into reality.
03:27It's a dream job, but this installation involves some formidable logistics.
03:32I think it was 874 boxes on 23 pallets. So, ultimately, the buck stops with me. I've got to get the poppies into the tower safely.
03:42The poppies first came to the tower in 2014 to mark the anniversary of World War I, with a breathtaking display of almost 900,000 of them planted in the moat.
03:55Now, 30,000 are returning for a smaller but equally important commemoration for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
04:07You're just coming down St. Catherine's Way now, are you?
04:10But only if Ali can get them in in the first place.
04:13The van's coming in here, so if I could ask you to move to that side, that would be great.
04:19The poppies are arriving in large lorries on the wharf alongside the River Thames. Unfortunately, when the east drawbridge was built hundreds of years ago, it wasn't designed for large truck delivery.
04:33But it's the only access into the tower for vehicles, so all 23 pallets will need to be unloaded, then transferred into smaller vans.
04:46Oh, just try not to...
04:48Coming back now.
04:50The cobbles make for a bumpy ride.
04:54I'm not sure that it's on the tail left.
04:58Especially when the cargo is thousands of handcrafted porcelain blooms that took a year to make.
05:07Obviously, the poppies are very delicate, and if we drop the boxes, they will break, and that would be not a good thing.
05:20But it's not just the poppies that Ali must ensure stay in one piece. It's also the tourists.
05:27You just hold on here a second. Can I just ask you to wait for the van to come through? Just hold on a minute.
05:32The tide of visitors is rising.
05:36You just mind out for the van coming through. Hold on a minute, the van is going backwards.
05:40And threatening to scupper the entire operation.
05:44This is very difficult. The wharf is very busy. It's always very busy.
05:48Lots of visitors all moving around, and then trucks moving around at the same time is always a bit of a challenge.
05:54If you can just go that way.
05:57All 30,000 poppies need to be safely inside the tower by 5.30pm, when the doors lock for the night.
06:05Finally managed to get one in, and 22 to go. Goodness me. It's quite a tricky process.
06:14Blissfully unaware of the chaos outside on the wharf, Yeoman warder A.J. Clarke is on her way to open up the Beef Eaters Club.
06:29Forget the Queen Vic or the Rovers' return, the Keys is one of the most exclusive boozes in the country.
06:36Tucked away within the medieval fortress walls, unless you live and work at the tower, it's invite only.
06:43And even then, bar manager A.J. has some hard and fast rules to abide by.
06:48We do not do cocktails. There's no Del Boys drinking in here, no pina coladas, no margaritas.
06:55And the only true gin that we sell here is beef-eater gin.
07:00So if you're going to come here for a different type of gin, you need to get yourself back down to Wetherspoons,
07:05because it's not going to happen.
07:06The Keys has been serving pints to residents for around 80 years, and was once one of several taverns within the tower.
07:14It's now the last pub standing, but its interior has become a tribute to the Beef Eaters themselves.
07:21Things like Toby Juggs, random heads of Yeoman warders.
07:24We are always looking for something that little bit strange.
07:29It's got something to do with a beef eater.
07:32Despite her love for the quirky club, A.J. has decided it's time for last orders.
07:39Six years is long enough, and it's time to hand over that mantle to one of the Yeoman that is a lot younger than me.
07:46I will miss it, but the pub is literally 25 paces from my front door, so not that much.
07:53It's 5pm. Six hours and 23 trips across the drawbridge later, 30,000 poppers have finally made it inside.
08:03It's a huge relief for Ali.
08:05The Tower of London is a nightmare location to deliver to, but we've managed it, and so the next step will be the actual installation,
08:13and that's going to be really challenging, but it's all what makes working at the tower such fun.
08:19Nice cup of tea we can go and miss. It's been a long day.
08:25Coming up, Chief Yeoman warder Rob Fuller makes the headlines.
08:30I'm very humbled to lay the first puppy on their behalf.
08:34And there's a raven rebellion as two naughty new chicks have a peck at the boss.
08:40True.
08:41So just proof there you've got to have your wits about you at all times.
08:53It's 7am in April. Too early for tourists, but there's a buzz of excitement on the south lawn.
08:59Today is the start of the poppy installation. To launch the event, Chief Yeoman warder Rob Fuller is about to broadcast live to the nation.
09:08It's an exciting moment for poppy project manager Ali Richardson.
09:12BBC are here, which is quite a coup, and it's nice that the public all over the country will be inspired to come down and come and visit the display.
09:21Once you see Tim moving towards you...
09:23Oh, my God.
09:25Rob will have the honour of planting the first poppy live on BBC Breakfast.
09:30I was kind of jealous of the guy when we planted the first poppy in 2014.
09:35And now I get to do it myself this time around.
09:38I've just got to make sure that I can get down and get up again. That's the main thing.
09:4220 seconds. Standby.
09:44Let's have a quick chat to them.
09:46Chief Yeoman warder, what does it mean to you to be holding one of these again?
09:51You're a former serviceman yourself.
09:53It's quite surreal and a wondrous thing for me. I'm very privileged to be planting this today.
10:00OK, Rob, I think the moment has come.
10:02A poppy, for me, is all about the sacrifice of others.
10:07So we're putting 30,000 of them up there, but that's just a representation of everyone who gave their lives in the Second World War.
10:15And, of course, I'm very humbled to lay the first poppy on their behalf.
10:22.
10:31With the early morning BBC interview over, the gates are opened and the tourists flooding.
10:41It's back to work for the Tower team.
10:43Are you on your break?
10:46Loving the bare skin, mate.
10:48Since Yeoman Warder AJ decided to step down as manager of the Keys pub, her successor, Barney Barnett, has been preparing to take over one of the most vital jobs in the Tower.
11:00Ready for duty?
11:03Can't wait.
11:04Fabulous.
11:05When's the last time you've changed a barrel, my friend?
11:06It's been a few years.
11:07It's been a few years since I've changed one.
11:09I can't wait.
11:10I can't wait to be the landlord.
11:11It's a huge responsibility.
11:13It's the hub, the heart of the community.
11:16Big shoes to fill with AJ doing it for over six years, but I'm really excited and looking forward to it.
11:22Your work here is done.
11:24Thank you very much.
11:25Easy as that.
11:27As the Keys is also a museum of beef eater memorabilia, Barney and the team have the task of restoring an old gin barrel that's been gifted to the pub by Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller.
11:39It is a great piece.
11:40It will look fab in the bar, I think.
11:43To bring it back to its former glory, they've called in the Coopers, traditional barrel makers.
11:50It takes about seven years for an apprentice to learn the skill.
11:55The craft is regulated by a guild or livery company called the Worshipful Company of Coopers.
12:05Rough hewn, the staves are trimmed and hollowed out on one side.
12:08One stave at a time, the barrel takes shape, and although it contains 70 feet of unjointed timber, it's completely watertight.
12:15Once the Coopers have spruced up the barrel, it will be welcomed back to the tower as Barney holds his first party in charge of the Keys.
12:27Barney is going to be brilliant.
12:29He's got his head screwed on.
12:30We want to enhance the club itself, and there's no better way to do that than with fresh eyes.
12:35So, he's going to be absolutely Bob-on.
12:44Over on the south lawn, now that project manager Ali has got the poppies inside the tower, there's just the small job of fixing 30,000 of them to enormous metal structures, all in time for the grand opening in nine days' time.
12:59It's all starting to happen, to finally feel that the structures that we've only looked at in drawings are now here in 3D is fantastic.
13:08The ambitious design features a cascade of poppies tumbling from the white tower, then pouring across the lawn towards the area bombed in the Second World War.
13:19The first job is to cover the six-metre-tall metal structure called the Splash with 2,000 blooms.
13:28They have rubber washers which sit on the spikes, and then the ceramic poppy goes over the top of that, and then a couple more washers hold it in place nice and securely.
13:37But it's a prickly job for contractors Maxwell Maldon and Mark Jacobs.
13:42We've got the four quadrants, and ultimately we need to slot them all together. They're quite spiky.
13:48Trying to slot them all together without them all getting tangled up with each other is quite a challenge.
13:54A few weeks ago, the team did a test installation.
13:57Here we go.
13:59Yeah.
14:00Slide on the timbers.
14:01But not with 2,000 fragile poppies attached.
14:05Once we've sort of got over the engineering issues, then I think it's going to look great.
14:15But obviously there's a long way to go.
14:19Underneath the archways there, you're going to see a little bit of a glimpse of a green roof.
14:32Now that is the roof of the raven enclosure.
14:37A few paces away from William the Conqueror's White Tower is the home of the fortress's iconic ravens.
14:44They are locked after by a man followed with the coolest name this side of Middle Earth, the Raven Master.
14:51There are currently six ravens guarding the fortress, the minimum needed according to tower folklore.
14:57But a few weeks ago, Raven Master Barney Chandler decided to bring in some backup.
15:02So, we're delighted.
15:04Two new members of staff and bring our number up to eight.
15:07So that means we've got two spare, two in reserve.
15:10Barney's been giving the new recruits round-the-clock care in his kitchen.
15:16But now they're six weeks old, practically teenagers.
15:19All good.
15:20And they're ready to take their place with the rest of the colony, guarding the tower.
15:25This is a big day.
15:26The next stage in the Raven's life, they're going to make their way today to their new home.
15:33I will miss them, to a certain extent.
15:36But it's been like looking after newborn babies.
15:39A lot of work.
15:41The as yet nameless chicks will follow in the footsteps of tower legends like Jim, who served until he was 44.
15:49Or Grip, who survived the Blitz.
15:52All right, chaps. All good.
15:54But sudden changes to a raven's environment can cause stress.
15:58So, fingers crossed, the chicks will like their new home.
16:01Hi, guys.
16:03Here you go.
16:04Are we going to do this?
16:05Are you going to be good to me?
16:06Come on, then.
16:07Let's have you out.
16:08Let's have you out.
16:09I know.
16:10I know.
16:11Here you go.
16:12There you go.
16:14So far, so good.
16:16But they might not like what's coming next.
16:19Hi, Barney.
16:20Hi, Trace.
16:21Yeoman warder, Tracy Machen, has come to help with a tour.
16:23They've come to help with a tricky but vital task.
16:26Tagging the young ravens with a plastic bracelet that tells the keepers and the public who's who.
16:32It's totally pain-free.
16:33And they won't even know that they've got them on once they're there.
16:36But has anyone told the ravens that?
16:39Oh, here you go.
16:40Let go.
16:41You're clinging on.
16:42Super keen to stay.
16:43Let's go.
16:44That's it.
16:45Well done.
16:46Well done, my friends.
16:47Which one should we go for?
16:48Which one?
16:49You are so good.
16:50This must be the ladies.
16:51Just a little bit of glue on there.
16:52Okay.
16:53Pop her back on the perch.
16:55Nice.
16:56One down and one to go.
16:57But raven number two knows what's coming and is having none of it.
17:01There we go.
17:02Oh, almost.
17:03And gives Barney a nasty nip to show who's boss.
17:07Maybe.
17:08Oh.
17:09Oh.
17:10Trying to hold her away.
17:11Sorry.
17:12Ouch.
17:13This is actually the first time it's actually gone for me.
17:16So just proof there you've got to have your wits about you at all times.
17:20The new ravens will soon be guarding some of the tower's most famous sights.
17:34Definitely see the white tower.
17:36The crown jewels if you go through this archway.
17:38We're now standing at the most famous, or should I say infamous, gates in the world.
17:43Traitor's gate.
17:45But most tourists aren't aware that just above this notorious archway is one of the tower's
17:51greatest treasures, the medieval palace.
17:55More than 200 years before Henry VIII at Hampton Court, Henry III and his son Edward spent a fortune
18:02creating an incredible palace inside the tower.
18:06And unbelievably, it was big enough to house the entire royal household, plus their guests,
18:11around 1,000 people.
18:14Although they were built over 700 years ago, remarkably, parts of the royal apartments still survive to this day.
18:20Curator Charles Farris thinks they're some of the most extraordinary rooms in the tower.
18:26This is where the kings and queens would have lived and worked and entertained people when they were staying at the tower.
18:35To help the public understand what life would have been like in a royal apartment in the 1200s,
18:41the medieval palace is undergoing a major renovation.
18:44The next time visitors come here, it's going to look really different.
18:48We can have beautiful wall hangings on the walls, rich tapestries to really give the feel of what the medieval palace would have felt like.
18:57This is a really important part of the tower's history and not one that many of our visitors know that much about.
19:03Back on the south lawn, it's protective gloves at the ready, in the epic endeavour of assembling and planting 30,000 poppies.
19:16I've done quite a lot of these now, not as many as some of our volunteers who have been amazing.
19:22It is quite hard. We're getting muscles in all sorts of places that we never knew we had.
19:27But it is a nice way to keep history alive.
19:30I do get emotional at times, looking at them.
19:34My father was in the war, he was out in Burma, and fortunately he came back.
19:43So this is a reminder of the ones that never came back.
19:47Now Anne Boleyn came down the River Thames with a flotilla of barges, it was magnificent.
20:01The King of England declared,
20:03My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life.
20:11Cheeky.
20:12There are lots of famous names associated with the tower.
20:16Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn.
20:18Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey.
20:20Princess Elizabeth and Queen Mary Tudor.
20:23For a monarch living in the tower's medieval palace, there were hundreds of people employed to take care of their every need.
20:30But finding out what life was like for the average royal servant working at the tower in the 1200s is not easy.
20:37One way to do it is to follow the money.
20:41So curator Charles is checking out the palace accounts.
20:45Clothing is really interesting because it identifies how important people were considered to be, what their status was.
20:52So you've got bannerets and knights, these are sort of like the fighting noble part of the household.
20:58But then you've got a whole load of different people, lower in status perhaps, but had really, really crucial roles.
21:05Listed amongst them is this chap called Philip de Beauvais, and he's described as the King's Surgeon.
21:11Philip's job brought him rare access to the monarch, but it was high stakes.
21:17As well as caring for the royal family's health, Philip had to follow Edward into battle, in case he was injured.
21:26The King's life was literally in his hands.
21:30Philip the Surgeon received eight marks for his robes for the year, which is a pretty substantial amount of money.
21:36The same money that knights are getting at the same time.
21:39So it was a really important role, but clearly one that he was well rewarded for.
21:43There are surprisingly few women listed in the accounts, but one, Matilda de Woutem, had a vital role.
21:51She washed the King's clothes.
21:54After a hard day's work, she probably slept on a mat on the floor.
21:58But as a laundress, she got to know the intimate details of the royal family, which had its perks when she came to retire.
22:06So her robes, we can see from the account, cost two marks, which is a substantial amount of money.
22:12And we even know that when she finally retires, he asked the monks of Bury St Edmunds to look after her.
22:19So a King like Edward I is even looking after her in her old age as well.
22:25The details of Matilda the Laundress and Philip the Surgeon's lives will be revealed in the revamped medieval palace.
22:34Hopefully, the lives of these amazing people will really bring the medieval world to life for our visitors.
22:41Coming up, the medieval palace team reveal their jewel in the crown.
22:46It's an absolute miracle, really, that it survived.
22:49And the next stage of the poppy installation gives Ali a real headache.
22:53It's quite a challenge to hang things off a scheduled ancient monument without doing any damage.
22:58Just move over to your right for me, folks. Just move over to your right slightly.
23:13As the tourists form an orderly line waiting to see the tower's instruments of torture or the crown jewels.
23:20You know this is the key for the toilet, don't you?
23:23Oh, is that right?
23:25Many will be unaware that the White Tower was once the country's main gunpowder store,
23:31home to thousands of barrels of explosives.
23:35And the fortress would have used coopers or cask makers to keep the barrels in good order.
23:45These days, there are only five traditional coopers left in England,
23:52including Ewan Finley, who is fixing up the chief yeoman warder's barrel for the Keys pub.
23:58But today, he's involved in something very different.
24:04What up, coopers?
24:06Just a mile away from the tower, at the historic Guildhall Yard,
24:10the coopers' annual barrel race is underway.
24:13That's very quick.
24:15Traditionally, apprentice coopers were rolled in their barrels
24:20to mark the completion of their training.
24:23Nowadays, it's just the barrels that get rolled,
24:26as teams compete to be the fastest.
24:29I've got my hammer and driver just in case these hoops fall off.
24:32They are screwed on, but you never know.
24:35Second!
24:37And it's all overseen by the worshipful master, Lee Johnson.
24:42Back in the day, the tower would have had hundreds of barrels,
24:46largely containing things like gunpowder,
24:48but also if they were ever under siege, they had to sort of be self-sufficient.
24:51So they'd have casts full of food, water, wine, everything.
24:54So we've always had a strong connection with the tower through our trades.
25:00What a finish!
25:02That historical connection is about to be honoured in style.
25:06Our next event is all of the coopers going in procession to the Tower of London
25:10to return the wonderful barrel that we have fully restored for them
25:14to be placed back into their pub.
25:16It'll be a highlight of our year.
25:19Back at the tower, the Poppy team are halfway through their nine-day schedule.
25:25And the time has come for the most difficult part of the entire project,
25:30attaching the structure known as the Cascade to the top of the White Tower.
25:36The Cascade is probably the bit of the design that has given me the most sleepless nights.
25:42It's quite a challenge to hang things off a scheduled ancient monument
25:46without doing any damage.
25:47Time to call in the big guns.
25:49The 52-metre-high crane will lift the pieces of metal structure
25:55over William the Conqueror's 900-year-old castle,
25:59where they'll be fixed in place.
26:03See what we're like for wait.
26:05It's the first time anything like this has been attempted.
26:09We've taken every precaution we can.
26:11Last thing we want to do is put a dent in a building that's been here
26:14as long as this one has.
26:17Top of the tower, please, Lee.
26:20Now, where did you think?
26:21What they can't plan for is the weather.
26:24That was a bit of a gust there.
26:26Yeah.
26:27Is that just the breeze or what?
26:28Yeah.
26:29Up at the top, 90 feet up, the wind swells around the building quite a lot
26:34and it causes the basket to sway a little bit, which is a bit disconcerting.
26:38Close but not too close.
26:40So if you put that first just for protection, put it on the stonework.
26:43And the challenge with that is obviously getting close enough to the building
26:46to make sure that we can pass the bits of structure over the crenellations
26:50without making any contact with the fabric of the building.
26:55That's going to be tricky.
26:57Slow and steady.
27:04It's a long way up.
27:05It's quite breezy.
27:06Everything's twice as difficult when you're a long way in the air.
27:10Whilst the installation team fight the rain at the top of the tower,
27:15inside the medieval palace, a careful transformation is taking place.
27:21A little bit of water and a little bit of paint,
27:25and then on to the next bit.
27:27Specialist decorator Laura Stevens has just a few days
27:31to put the finishing touches on the rooms as they might have looked
27:34in the 1200s using a technique called block and rose pattern.
27:39People think that the medieval period was sort of dull and drab,
27:43but for the aristocracy they wanted to show off,
27:46because otherwise how do people know that you're wealthy and powerful
27:49unless you display it in the form of lovely bright colours
27:52in your clothes and your surroundings.
27:56Edward I didn't only redecorate,
27:58he was also responsible for redesigning one of the tower's iconic features,
28:04the moat.
28:05Today it's covered with grass and wildflowers,
28:09but back then he expanded it to a hefty 50 metres wide
28:13and filled it with water from the Thames.
28:15It meant none of his enemies could get anywhere near.
28:18And the canny king went one better.
28:21He had the moat stocked with fish,
28:24so it doubled as a handy food supply.
28:27700 years later,
28:29Conservators Mia Robinson and Nelson Garcia Berrios
28:33are unwrapping an amazing artefact
28:35that brings Edward's clever plan vividly to life.
28:39It is an extremely fragile object,
28:42so, above from being exciting,
28:44it's also very, very nerve-wracking in some ways.
28:52This incredibly rare wicker-work trap for catching fish
28:55is almost completely intact
28:57and was discovered in the mud at the bottom of the moat.
29:00Almost afraid to touch.
29:02Where it had lain undisturbed
29:04through the reigns of Henry VIII,
29:06Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria,
29:09only being uncovered in the reign of Elizabeth II,
29:12700 years after it was first used.
29:15Well, that's incredible.
29:17They're really cool.
29:22It is highly unusual
29:24for an ordinary, practical object like this to survive,
29:27so this fish trap gives a unique insight
29:30into how tower residents were fed.
29:33It's a completely ingenious design.
29:35It's made from willow sticks that have been bound together
29:38and it's been weighted down with two large pieces of flint.
29:41And it's an absolute miracle, really, that it survived.
29:44And it's really exciting,
29:45because it demonstrates for us
29:47that the moat was not only a defensive structure,
29:50but also a way of feeding the population of the tower.
29:54Perhaps Matilda the laundress and Philip the surgeon
29:58enjoyed fish for dinner at the palace.
30:01With the public opening just a few days away,
30:03the fish trap is 3D scanned
30:06to help the team plan how to conserve it
30:09before it takes pride of place in the new exhibition.
30:12And it's fantastic that we can share it
30:15in the medieval palace for the very first time.
30:22There are always hungry mouths that need feeding at the tower.
30:26The ravens each eat over 60 kilograms of raw meat and biscuits in a year.
30:34And the new arrivals are no exception.
30:36Yeoman warder Dave Coleman is on dinner duty.
30:40And what we're going to do is give them a bit of feed.
30:42Here we go.
30:43It looks a little bit dramatic, but it's actually...
30:45You quite like it, don't you?
30:47Here we go.
30:48Ravens have two parts to their stomachs.
30:52When they swallow their food,
30:53they bring up any bones as a pellet from the first
30:56before the second grinds their meal.
30:59Come on, it's your go now.
31:00There we go.
31:01That's perfect.
31:03But the chicks need extra calcium.
31:07In the wild, the mother would push the beak into their mouths,
31:10the same as I'm using my finger,
31:11and we're pushing it past that first stomach
31:13into their main stomach,
31:14so they're decomposing bone as well,
31:16which they need to grow.
31:17The new recruits will continue to be hand-fed
31:20for the next couple of weeks
31:22until they're able to eat independently.
31:25Something else?
31:26Chips?
31:27Ice cream?
31:29The raven master's fingers, perhaps.
31:37Boing it around.
31:38I reckon you could charge for rides in this thing.
31:42With the weather now calmed to a gentle breeze,
31:45the poppy team has managed to secure the cascade to the white tower.
31:50But the historic site has not made it easy.
31:54Amazing how irregular the wall is up close.
31:56Yes.
31:57It looks like a flat wall, but it's actually hugely irregular.
32:00The tower's walls are not 100% straight.
32:05And that's always going to be the case with a thousand-year-old building.
32:09But it means that drawing designs on a computer and what you find in real life are a little bit different.
32:16Luckily, the design can be adjusted to fit around William the Conqueror's brickwork.
32:21You can't be tired, you've been asleep all afternoon.
32:27In her home in the hospital block,
32:29Yomit Warder A.J. Clark and her furry family are preparing for VE Day.
32:34This is Mr. Wellington Walter, named after the Duke of Wellington.
32:39This one down here is Bess Lilibet.
32:42She's named after my two favourite queens.
32:45OK, thank you.
32:46We can hear you.
32:48And this is their son, Reggie Ronald.
32:51After the Cray twins, because he has a bit of an attitude.
32:55Reggie.
32:57When you're top dog at the tower, you've got to look the part.
33:01So, A.J. has had special poppy-themed harnesses made.
33:06Shall we put our collars on?
33:08It's nice to wear our poppy and wear it with pride
33:11and remember the servicemen and women that gave their all
33:15so that we could have what we have today.
33:18Shall we go in the moat?
33:20Yes, OK, good boy.
33:22Let's go.
33:26The south moat is off-limits to the public,
33:30but the sausages' new outfits still draw a crowd.
33:34I was not here at the Tower of London
33:37when the first installation of the poppies happened in 2014.
33:40So, yeah, I'm really, really pleased that I will actually be here
33:44when they open. It's going to be quite something to see.
33:51Emma?
33:53Oh, there you are.
33:54Oh, there you are.
33:56In the Keys, new pub manager Yeoman Warder Barney Barnett
34:00and the rest of the bar team are preparing to welcome
34:02the refurbished Beefeater Barrel to the Tower.
34:06I'm going to chop plenty of lemons, then,
34:07just because you've got quite a busy night.
34:09I think we need to check the stock as well, mate,
34:11because I think we need some more gin.
34:13Guys, we need to get changed because the Coopers are going to be here soon.
34:16Good.
34:17Of course, nothing at the Tower can happen without some formality.
34:23On the wharf, the worshipful company of Coopers have arrived,
34:28ready to present the Chief Yeoman Warder's newly refurbished barrel.
34:32Master Cooper Ewan Findlay has painstakingly restored the cask to its former glory.
34:40The barrel itself was completely dried out, very tatty,
34:45and he had to take the whole thing apart and rebuild it,
34:48and he's done an exceptional job.
34:49As the public leave, Yeoman Warder Paul Langley prepares to welcome the barrel through the gates.
34:57You stand there, and if we could have the rest of the Yeoman body behind.
35:04As the Tower is closed, anyone approaching will need to be granted entry,
35:10a long-standing tradition of the nation's safehouse.
35:14The company of Coopers are about two minutes away.
35:16We know they're forming up outside.
35:17They're going to bang on the doors and state their business.
35:23Scott!
35:25Yeah, we're just rehearsing.
35:28At exactly 6 o'clock, the Coopers begin their procession towards the Tower.
35:34OK.
35:36And their entry is barred in a time-honoured challenge.
35:42Right, sir, state your business.
35:44The master of the Worshipful Company of Coopers, here to present a barrel to His Majesty's Tower of London.
35:54With no danger to the king or the security of the realm, the Coopers and their barrel are allowed in,
36:00in honour of the thousands that would have passed this way over centuries.
36:04APPLAUSE
36:05We are delighted to return this barrel to you, the conditions such that I hope it will significantly outlast us all.
36:18May I suggest that we repair to the bar, and I will be delighted to stand the first round.
36:28APPLAUSE
36:30Wow!
36:31Oh, that is phenomenal.
36:32Yeah.
36:33Oh, the painter did the hard work.
36:35Yeah, I just, I'll tighten the all up, got it all sound again.
36:38Follow me, gentlemen, I'll clear the way.
36:40I've never had to knock at the Tower before to gain entry, so it's a first for me to do that.
36:45And it's their private bar that nobody can normally come to, so it's a very special day.
36:48The possession went really well. The barrel looks amazing.
36:51I'm extremely happy because it's my first function, went without a hitch,
36:55and now I might even treat myself to a gin and tonic in there also.
37:03Coming up, will the medieval palace be ready in time for its grand reopening?
37:09We've been planning for this for months now.
37:12We just want to make sure the conditions are absolutely perfect.
37:14And emotions run high as the poppy display reaches full bloom.
37:20It's an installation that has talked to people, and it moves them.
37:24So that's good.
37:25In the medieval palace, the final touches are being added ready for the exhibition to open to the public.
37:47I can't set the light levels yet.
37:49And Charles and the conservation team are feeling the heat as they prepare to maneuver this extraordinary key artifact into its new home.
37:59We've been planning for this for months now, believe it or not.
38:05It's an incredibly exciting object, and so we just want to make sure the conditions are absolutely perfect.
38:09This fish trap has survived over 700 years.
38:15OK.
38:16OK, so one, two, three.
38:22You're welcome.
38:24But one wrong move, and this unique piece of history could be lost forever.
38:28I'm going to put it down.
38:29Yeah, put it down.
38:30I got it.
38:31I think we want it back a little bit more.
38:35OK.
38:36Hold it.
38:37And then central.
38:38It's nice.
38:39Cool.
38:40I think that's good.
38:41I think we've got it.
38:43It's always tense to bring objects into spaces, but a great relief to have it in.
38:48It's looking absolutely fantastic.
38:50After months of meticulous research, hundreds of hours of work from tower staff and contractors, including restoring over two kilometers of wall decorations, visitors can now see what it was really like to live in a medieval palace over 700 years ago.
39:10Initially, when I stepped inside, I felt my heart stopped a little bit because it's so impressive to walk on the same floors where kings of England have walked.
39:20I love the tapestries.
39:22I like the creaking floor.
39:23I like the smell of the boys.
39:25It's just evocative.
39:28Once alive with hundreds of members of the royal household, people can step back in time and view Edward I's travelling bed that could be packed up for the king's many journeys.
39:40They can imagine the great hall crowded with servants sleeping side by side while the kitchens worked round the clock to feed them all.
39:47And it's fantastic to see visitors enjoying the space.
39:50After all our hard work, giving just a glimpse of what the medieval world would have been like.
39:55The medieval palace isn't the only part of the tower feeling the love.
40:05After nine days of blood, sweat and tears, the poppy installation is almost complete.
40:11Designer Tom Piper and the man who created the poppies, Paul Cummins, are on site to ensure everything is perfect.
40:19I've been bending the wires and making all the poppies go that way.
40:23So it looks like the explosion's rippling out.
40:26And it just looks more natural.
40:29I'm just going around adjusting the heights and trying to make the poppies feel more like a liquid that's in motion.
40:35All the boxes are now empty.
40:39This in-store period has been absolutely brutal.
40:42I've done 12, 13 hour days every day for nearly two weeks.
40:46I need my glass of wine tonight.
40:48Months of painstaking planning have finally paid off.
41:03And the poppy display commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day is ready to be open to the public on the 6th of May, 2025.
41:13With a royal visit by none other than Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
41:23It's in. It's finished. It's there. We release it to the world and see what people think.
41:31It is an amazing display. It really is. And watching it all come together was superb.
41:37The impact is just breathtaking. It really is a thoughtful, provocative design.
41:46It's very important to me that, you know, we honor the veterans.
41:52And everybody has relatives who suffered in the Second World War.
41:57My father was a Japanese prisoner of war and ended up for three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and nearly died.
42:05So it's an installation that does talk to people.
42:11And it moves. So that's good.
42:14Next time, it's the biggest day of the year for the tower as the Queen officially opens this spectacular poppy installation.
42:31I can't help feeling a little bit nervous about this. You never know what might happen.
42:35One of the fortress's youngest residents prepares for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Her Majesty.
42:42I've been practicing my bow. Would you like to see my bow?
42:46I'd love to.
42:48And we reveal exactly why Henry VIII had his uncle locked away.
42:52He loved Arthur. He imprisoned him in a cold, dark cell.
42:57And if I can see my bow now.
43:24You
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