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Inside the Tower of London - Season 8 Episode 4
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00:00there will be stories about murders over its thousand years of history everyone
00:07who's anyone has passed through its gates King Richard the third Kevin
00:11Howard King Henry the eighth declared my darling on I will love you for the rest
00:16of your life cheeky and this year it's non-stop with grand commemorations at
00:29the ancient fortress including a royal visit I truly think that her majesty will
00:34be moved we've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold oh my gosh while its
00:40dedicated staff high-five yeah work to keep everything on track you know this is
00:46the key for the toilet then yeah no I'm not feeding you anymore no in this
00:51episode the team must get nearly 30,000 fragile ceramic blooms safely into the
00:57tower obviously the poppies are very delicate and if we drop the boxes they
01:02will break and that will be not a good thing
01:07the ravenous ravens eat the beef eaters out of house and home something else chips
01:13ice cream and emotions are running high at the tower my father was in the war and
01:21fortunately he came back this is a reminder of the ones that never came back
01:29welcome to the secret world of the tower of London hello can we have a selfie with
01:41of course you can absolutely yeah but we're all matching it's 11 a.m. at the tower prime arrival time for
01:50tourists look at that Bobby does the hey even after years working at the fortress
01:58it's 35 yeoman waters can still never predict what the public might ask the
02:04question I keep getting asked quite recently do we get Amazon delivered I've
02:09got asked when they excuse me do you work here I said I don't know what gave you
02:13that impression how hot are we I'm always hot mom so temperature wise I'm sorry yes
02:19yes despite their odd questions the tourists are the lifeblood of the tower
02:25with thousands of them passing over the drawbridge every day to keep everyone
02:32safe deliveries take place out of hours but today the crowds are going to have to
02:37make room for a very special shipment that's arriving at the fortress in his
02:43headquarters at the bywood tower yeoman jailer Clive towel is watching closely
02:48today is a big day we're expecting 30,000 poppies to be delivered from the
02:54Imperial Museum the fragile ceramic flowers are part of a spectacular display
02:59for the 80th anniversary of VE Day now normally we get all this done before work
03:05starts but it's just not going to happen like that this time there's too many
03:07poppies it's going to have to be delivered during a busy period when the
03:13pallets have been unloaded and moved we might then just need to unwrap and get a
03:18box yeah yeah Ali Richardson is the towers poppy project manager responsible for
03:24turning the plans into reality it's a dream job but this installation involves
03:30some formidable logistics I think it was 874 boxes on 23 pallets so ultimately the
03:38buck stops with me I've got to get the poppies into the tower safely the poppies
03:43first came to the tower in 2014 to mark the anniversary of World War one with a
03:49breathtaking display of almost 900,000 of them planted in the mode
03:55now 30,000 are returning for a smaller but equally important commemoration for the 80th
04:02anniversary of VE Day you're just coming down down there dancing Catherine's way now are you but
04:10only if Ali can get them in in the first place the vans coming in the in here so if I could ask you
04:18to move to that side that would be great the poppies are arriving in large lorries on the
04:22wharf alongside the River Thames unfortunately when the East drawbridge was built hundreds of years
04:30ago it wasn't designed for large truck delivery yeah but it's the only access into the tower for
04:38vehicles so all 23 pallets will need to be unloaded then transferred into smaller vans oh
04:45just try not to come in right now the cobbles make for a bumpy ride especially when the cargo is
05:01thousands of handcrafted porcelain blooms that took a year to make obviously the
05:07poppies are very delicate and if we drop the boxes they will break and that would be not a good thing
05:13but it's not just the poppies that Ali must ensure stay in one piece it's also the tourists you just
05:27hold 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 you just mind out for the van coming through hold on a minute the van is
05:39going backwards and threatening to scupper the entire operation this is very difficult the wharf
05:46is very busy it's always very busy lots of visitors all moving around and then trucks moving around at
05:52the same time is always a bit of a challenge you can just go that way all 30,000 poppies need to be
06:00safely inside the tower by 5 30 p.m when the doors lock for the night finally managed to get one in and
06:0822 to go goodness me it's quite a tricky process blissfully unaware of the chaos outside on the wharf
06:22yeoman warder AJ Clark is on her way to open up the beef eaters club forget the Queen Vic or the rovers
06:31return the keys is one of the most exclusive boozers in the country tucked away within the medieval
06:39fortress walls unless you live and work at the tower it's invite only and even then bar manager AJ has
06:46some hard and fast rules to abide by we do not do cocktails there's no del boys drinking in here no
06:53pina coladas no margaritas and the only true gin that we sell here is beef eating so if you're going
07:01to come here for a different type of gin you need to get yourself back down to weather spoons because
07:05it's not going to happen the keys has been serving pints to residents for around 80 years and was once
07:12one of several taverns within the tower it's now the last pub standing but its interior has become a
07:18tribute to the beef eaters themselves things like Toby jugs random heads of yeoman warders we are always
07:25looking for something that little bit strange it's got something to do with a beef eater despite her love
07:33for the quirky club AJ has decided it's time for last orders six years is long enough
07:41and it's time to hand over that mantle to one of the yeoman that is a lot younger than me I will miss
07:47it but the pub is literally 25 paces from my front door so not that much it's 5 p.m six hours and 23
07:58trips across the drawbridge later 30,000 poppers have finally made it inside it's a huge relief for Ali the
08:06Tower of London is a nightmare location to deliver to but we've managed it and so the next step will be the
08:12actual installation and that's going to be really challenging but it's all what makes working at the
08:17tower such fun nice cup of tea we can go miss it's been a long day coming up chief yeoman warder Rob Fuller
08:28makes the headlines I'm very humbled to lay the first puppy on their behalf and there's a raven rebellion
08:36as two naughty new chicks have a peck at the boss so just proof there you've got to have your wits
08:43about you all times it's seven a.m in April too early for tourists but there's a buzz of excitement on
08:58the south lawn today is the start of the poppy installation to launch the event chief yeoman warder
09:05Rob Fuller is about to broadcast live to the nation it's an exciting moment for poppy project manager
09:11Ali Richardson BBC are here which is which is quite a quite a coup and it's nice that public all over
09:18the country will be inspired to come down and come and visit the display once you see Tim moving towards
09:23you oh my god Rob will have the honor of planting the first poppy live on BBC breakfast I was kind
09:31of jealous of the the guy when we planted the first poppy in 2014 and now I get to do it myself for this
09:37time around I just got to make sure that I can get down and get up again that's the main
09:41thing 20 seconds stand by let's have a quick touch them chief uh yeoman warder what does it mean to
09:49you to be holding one of these again you're a former serviceman yourself it's uh quite surreal and uh a
09:56wondrous thing for me I'm very privileged to be part in this today okay well I think the moment has come
10:01a poppy for me is all about the sacrifice of others so we're putting 30,000 of them up there but that's
10:10just a representation of everyone who gave their lives in the second world war and of course I'm very
10:17very humbled to uh lay the first poppy on their behalf
10:21with the early morning BBC interview over the gates are opened and the tourists flooding it's back
10:41to work for the tower team on your break loving the bare skin mate since yeoman warder aj decided to
10:51step down as manager of the keys pub her successor Barney Barnett has been preparing to take over one of
10:58the most vital jobs in the tower ready for duty can't wait fabulous when's the last time you've changed
11:06the barrel my friend a few years been a few years since I've changed one I can't wait I can't wait to
11:12be the landlord it's a huge responsibility it's the hub the heart of the community big shoes to fill with
11:19aj doing it for over six years but no I'm really excited and looking forward to it your work here is
11:24done thank you very much easy as that as the keys is also a museum of beef eater memorabilia
11:30Barney and the team have the task of restoring an old gin barrel that's been gifted to the pub
11:36by chief yeoman warder Rob Fuller here's a great piece it will look fab in the bar I think
11:42to bring it back to its former glory they've called in the Coopers traditional barrel makers it takes about
11:52seven years for an apprentice to learn the skill the craft is regulated by a guild or livery company
11:59called the worshipful company of Coopers rough you and the staves of trimmed and hollowed out on one
12:07side one stave at a time the battle takes shape and although it contains 70 feet of unjointed timber
12:13it's completely watertight once the Coopers have spruced up the barrel it will be welcome back to
12:22the tower as Barney holds his first party in charge of the keys Barney is going to be brilliant he's got
12:29his head screwed on we want to enhance the club itself and there's no better way to do that than with
12:34fresh eyes so he's going to be absolutely Bob on all right over on the south lawn now that project
12:47manager Ali has got the poppies inside the tower there's just the small job of fixing 30,000 of
12:54them to enormous metal structures all in time for the grand opening in nine days time it's all starting
13:01to happen to finally feel that the structures that we've only looked at in drawings are now here in
13:06in 3d is some is fantastic the ambitious design features a cascade of poppies tumbling from the
13:13white tower then pouring across the lawn towards the area bombed in the second world war the first job
13:20is to cover the six meter tall metal structure called the splash with 2,000 blooms they have rubber
13:29washers which sit on the spikes and then the ceramic poppy goes over the top of that and then a couple
13:35more washers hold it in place nice and securely but it's a prickly job for contractors Maxwell Maldon
13:41and Mark Jacobs I've got the four quadrant and ultimately we need to slot them all together
13:46they're quite spiky trying to slot them all together without them all getting tangled up with each other
13:52is is quite a challenge a few weeks ago the team did a test installation here we go yeah the left
13:59up slide on the timbers but not with 2,000 fragile poppies attached once we've sort of got over the
14:12engineering issues then I think it's going to look great but obviously there's a long way to go
14:19underneath the archways there and you're going to see a little bit of a glimpse of a green roof now
14:33that is the roof of the Raven enclosure a few paces away from William the Conqueror's white tower is the
14:41home of the fortress's iconic ravens they are locked after by a man followed with the coolest name this
14:48side of Middle Earth the Raven master there are currently six Ravens guarding the fortress the minimum
14:54needed according to tower folklore but a few weeks ago Raven master Barney Chandler decided to bring in
15:01some backup so we're delighted two new members of staff and bring a number up to eight so that means
15:08we've got two spare two in reserve Barney's been giving the new recruits round-the-clock care in his
15:15kitchen but now they're six weeks old practically teenagers all good and they're ready to take their
15:22place with the rest of the colony guarding the tower this is a big day and the next stage in the Raven's
15:28life they're gonna make their way today to their new home I will miss them to a certain extent it's
15:36been like looking after newborn babies I a lot of work the as yet nameless chicks will follow in the
15:44footsteps of tower legends like Jim who served until he was 44 or grip who survived the blitz all right
15:52chaps all good but sudden changes to a Raven's environment can cause stress so fingers crossed
15:59the chicks will like their new home hi guys there you go we're gonna do this are you gonna be good to
16:06me come on so far so good but they might not like what's coming next hi Bonnie hi Trace yeoman warder
16:21Tracy Machen has come to help with a tricky but vital task tagging the young Ravens with a plastic
16:27bracelet that tells the keepers and the public who's who it's totally pain-free and they won't even know
16:34that they've got them on once they're there but has anyone told the Ravens that ah let go keep
16:41hanging on super keen to stay that's it well done well done my friends which one should we go for which
16:47one you are so good just a little bit of glue on there okay pop her pop her back on here on the
16:54perch one down and one to go but Raven number two knows what's coming and is having none of it there we
17:01go oh almost and gives Barney a nasty nip to show who's boss maybe oh oh trying to hold her away
17:11sorry this is actually the first time it's actually gone for me so just proof there you've got to have
17:19your wits about you all times the new Ravens will soon be guarding some of the tower's most famous
17:33sites definitely see the white tower the crown jewels if you go through this archway but I'm
17:39standing at the most famous or should I say infamous gates in the world traitor's gate but most tourists
17:46aren't aware that just above this notorious archway is one of the tower's greatest treasures the medieval
17:53palace more than 200 years before Henry the eighth at Hampton Court Henry the third and his son Edward
18:00spent a fortune creating an incredible palace inside the tower and unbelievably it was big enough to house
18:08the entire royal household plus their guests around 1000 people although they were built over 700 years
18:16ago remarkably parts of the royal apartments still survive to this day curator Charles Farris thinks
18:23they're some of the most extraordinary rooms in the tower this is where the Kings and Queens would
18:30have lived and worked and entertained people when they were staying at the tower to help the public
18:37understand what life would have been like in a royal apartment in the 1200s the medieval palace is
18:42undergoing a major renovation the next time visitors come here it's gonna look really different we can
18:48have beautiful wall hangings on the walls rich tapestries to really give the feel of what the medieval
18:55palace would have felt like this is a really important part of the tower's history and not one that many of
19:01our visitors know that much about back on the south lawn it's protective gloves at the ready in the epic
19:12endeavor of assembling and planting 30,000 poppies I've done it quite a lot of these now not as many as some of our
19:20volunteers who have been amazing it is quite hard we're getting muscles in all sorts of places that we never
19:27knew we had but it's a nice way to keep history alive I do get emotional at times I'm looking at them my father was in the
19:37war he was out in Burma and fortunately he came back so this is a reminder of the ones that never came back
19:50now Anne Boleyn came down the river Thames with a flotilla of barges it was magnificent the king of England declared my darling Anne
20:04I will love you for the rest of your life
20:07cheeky there are lots of famous names associated with the tower Henry VIII Queen Anne Boleyn Catherine Howard Lady Jane Grey
20:20Princess Elizabeth and Queen Mary Tudor for a monarch living in the tower's medieval palace there were
20:26hundreds of people employed to take care of their every need but finding out what life was like for
20:33the average royal servant working at the tower in the 1200s is not easy one way to do it is to follow
20:40the money so curator Charles is checking out the palace accounts clothing's really interesting because it
20:47identifies how important people were considered to be what their status was so you've got bannerets and
20:54knights these are sort of like the fighting noble part of the of the household but then you've got a
20:59whole load of different people lowering status perhaps but had really really crucial roles listed
21:06amongst them is this chap called Philip de Beauvais and he's described as the king surgeon Philip's job
21:13brought him rare access to the monarch but it was high stakes as well as caring for the royal family's
21:20health Philip had to follow Edward into battle in case he was injured the king's life was literally
21:28in his hands Philip the surgeon received eight marks for his robes for the year which is a pretty
21:35substantial amount of money the same money that knights are getting at the same time so it's a really
21:40important role but clearly one that he was well rewarded for there are surprisingly few women listed
21:46in the accounts but one Matilda de Woutem had a vital role she washed the king's clothes after a hard day's
21:55work she properly slept on a mat on the floor but as a laundress she got to know the intimate details of
22:02the royal family which had its perks when she came to retire so her robes we can see from the account cost
22:09two marks which is a substantial amount of money and we even know that when she finally retires he asked
22:16the monks of Bury St Edmunds to look after her so a king like Edward the first is even looking after her
22:23in her old age as well the details of Matilda the laundress and Philip the surgeon's lives will be
22:30revealed in the revamped medieval palace hopefully the lives of these amazing people will really bring
22:37the medieval world to life for our visitors coming up the medieval palace team reveal their jewel in the
22:45crown it's an absolute miracle really that it survived and the next stage of the poppy installation
22:50gives Ali a real headache it's quite a challenge to hang things off a scheduled agent monument without
22:57doing any damage just move on to your right for me folks just move on to your right slightly as the
23:14tourists form an orderly line waiting to see the towers instruments of torture or the crown jewels
23:20you know this is the key for the toilet then yeah was that right many will be unaware that the white
23:28tower was once the country's main gunpowder store home to thousands of barrels of explosives and the
23:37fortress would have used coopers or cask makers to keep the barrels in good order these days there are only
23:46five traditional coopers left in England including Ewan Finlay who is fixing up the chief yeoman warder's barrel for the
23:57keys pub but today he's involved in something very different just a mile away from the tower at the historic guildhall yard the
24:10coopers annual barrel race is underway that's very quick traditionally apprentice coopers were rolled in
24:19their barrels to mark the completion of their training nowadays it's just the barrels that get rolled as teams
24:26compete to be the fastest look at my hammer and driver just in case these hoops fall off they are screwed on
24:32but you never know second and it's all overseen by the worshipful master Lee Johnson back in the day the tower
24:43would have would have had hundreds of barrels largely containing things like gunpowder but also if they were
24:48ever under siege that sort of be self-sufficient so they'd have cast full of food water wine everything so
24:54we've always had a strong connection with the tower throughout trade what a finish that historical
25:03connection is about to be honored in style our next event is all of the coopers going in procession to
25:09the Tower of London to return the wonderful barrel that we have fully restored for them to be placed back
25:15into their pub it'll be a highlight of our year back at the tower the poppy team are halfway through
25:23their nine days schedule and the time has come for the most difficult part of the entire project
25:29attaching the structure known as the cascade to the top of the white tower the cascade is probably the
25:38bit of the design that has given me the most sleepless nights it's quite a challenge to hang things off a
25:45scheduled agent monument without doing any damage time to call in the big guns the 52 meter high crane
25:53will lift the pieces of metal structure over William the Congress 900 year old castle where they'll be
26:01fixed in place see what we like for wait it's the first time anything like this has been attempted we've
26:09taken every proportion we can last thing we want to do is put a dent in a building that's been here as
26:14long as this one has top of the tower please Lee what they can't plan for is the weather as we have a gust
26:26there yeah is that just the breeze or up at the top 90 feet up the wind swells around the building
26:33quite a lot and it causes the basket to sway a little bit which is a bit disconcerting close but not too close
26:40so if you put that first just for protection put it on the stonework and the challenge of that is
26:44obviously getting close enough to the building to make sure that we can pass the bits of structure
26:50over the crenellations without making any contact with the fabric of the building that's going to be
26:56tricky slow and steady
27:04it's a long way up it's quite breezy everything's twice as difficult when you're a long way in the air
27:08whilst the installation team fight the rain at the top of the tower inside the medieval palace a careful
27:19transformation is taking place a little bit of water and a little bit of paint and then onto the next
27:26bit specialist decorator Laura Stevens has just a few days to put the finishing touches on the rooms as
27:33they might have looked in the 1200s using a technique called block and rose pattern people
27:40think that the the medieval period was sort of dull and draught but for the aristocracy they wanted to
27:45show off because otherwise how do people know that you're wealthy and powerful unless you display it in
27:50the form of lovely bright colors and your clothes and your surroundings
27:54Edward the first didn't only redecorate he was also responsible for redesigning one of the towers iconic
28:03features the moat today it's covered with grass and wild flowers but back then he expanded it to a hefty
28:1150 meters wide and filled it with water from the Thames it meant none of his enemies could get anywhere near
28:18and the canny king went one better he had the moat stocked with fish so it doubled as a handy food
28:26supply 700 years later conservators Mia Robinson and Nelson Garcia Berrios are unwrapping an amazing
28:35artifact that brings Edward's clever plan vividly to life it is an extremely fragile object so about from
28:44being exciting is this is also very very nerve-wracking in some ways this incredibly rare wicker work trap for
28:55catching fish is almost completely intact and was discovered in the mud at the bottom of the moat
29:00always afraid to touch where it had lain undisturbed through the reigns of Henry the eighth Elizabeth the
29:07first and Queen Victoria only being uncovered in the reign of Elizabeth the second 700 years after
29:14it was first used well that's incredible very cool it is highly unusual for an ordinary practical object
29:26like this to survive so this fish trap gives a unique insight into how tower residents were fed it's a
29:33completely ingenious design it's made from willow sticks that have been bound together and it's
29:39been weighted down with two large pieces of flint and it's an absolute miracle really that it survived
29:44it's really exciting because it demonstrates for us that the moat was not only a defensive structure but
29:51also a way of feeding the population of the tower perhaps Matilda the laundress and Philip the surgeon
29:58enjoyed fish for dinner at the palace with the public opening just a few days away the fish trap
30:05is 3d scanned to help the team plan how to conserve it before it takes pride of place in the new
30:12exhibition and this fantastic that we can share it in the medieval palace for the very first time
30:18there 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 and the new arrivals are no
30:36exception yeoman warder Dave Coleman is on dinner duty and what we're going to do is give them a bit of
30:42feed there we go it looks a little bit dramatic but it's actually you quite like it don't you there we
30:48go ravens have two parts to their stomachs when they swallow their food they bring up any bones as a
30:55a pellet from the first before the second grinds their meal come on it's your go now that's perfect
31:02but the chicks need extra calcium though in the wild the mother would push the beak into their mouths the
31:10same as I'm using my finger and we're pushing it past that first time it's into their main stomach so
31:14they're decomposing bone as well which they need to grow the new recruits will continue to be hand-fed for the
31:21next couple of weeks until they're able to eat independently something else chips ice cream the
31:29raven master's fingers perhaps
31:31boinging around I reckon you could charge for rides in this thing with the weather now calmed to a gentle
31:45breeze the poppy team has managed to secure the cascade to the white tower but the historic site
31:51has not made it easy amazing how irregular the wall is up close yeah it looks like a flat wall but it's
31:57actually hugely irregular the towers walls are not a hundred percent straight and that's always going
32:07to be the case with a thousand year old building but it means that drawing designs on a computer and what
32:13you find in real life are a little bit different luckily the design can be adjusted to fit around
32:20William the Conqueror's brickwork you can't be tired you've been asleep all afternoon in her home in
32:28the hospital block Yomid water AJ Clark and her furry family are preparing for VE day this is mr.
32:36Wellington Walter named after the Duke of Wellington this one down here is best Lily but she's named
32:42after my two favorite Queens okay thank you we can hear you and this is their son Reggie Ronald after
32:51the Kray twins because he has a bit of an attitude Reggie when you're top dog at the tower you've got to
32:59look the part so AJ has had special poppy themed harnesses made shall we put our collars on it's
33:08nice to wear our poppy and wear it with pride and remember the the servicemen and women that gave that
33:14all so that we could have what we have today shall go in the moat yes okay good boy let's go
33:22the south moat is off limits to the public but the sausages new outfits still draw a crowd I was
33:35not here at the time of London when the first installation of the pop is happening in 2014 so
33:40yeah I'm really really pleased that I will actually be here when the open is going to be quite something
33:45to see Emma oh there you are in the keys new pub manager yeoman warder Barney Barnett and the rest
34:00of the bar team are preparing to welcome the refurbished beef eater barrel to the tower I'm gonna
34:05chop plenty of lemons and you got quite busy night so we need to get check the stock as well mix I think
34:11we need some more gin guys we need to get change because the coopers are gonna be here soon of course
34:20nothing at the tower can happen without some formality on the wharf the worshipful company
34:26of coopers have arrived ready to present the chief yeoman warder's newly refurbished barrel master
34:34Cooper Ewan Findlay has painstakingly restored the cask to its former glory the barrel itself was
34:41completely dried out very tatty and he had to take the whole thing apart and rebuild it and he's done
34:48an exceptional job as the public leave yeoman warder Paul Langley prepares to welcome the barrel through
34:55the gates you stand there and and if we could have the rest of the yeoman body behind as the tower is
35:05closed anyone approaching will need to be granted entry a long-standing tradition of the nation's safe
35:13house the company of coopers are about two minutes away we know the forming up outside they're gonna bang
35:19on the doors and state their business Scott yeah we're just pressing at exactly six o'clock the coopers
35:31begin their procession towards the tower okay and their entry is barred in a time-honored challenge
35:39great sir state your business the master of the worshipful company of coopers here to present a barrel to his
35:51majesty's Tower of London with no danger to the king or the security of the realm the coopers and their
35:58barrel are allowed in in honor of the thousands that would have passed this way over centuries
36:09we are delighted to return this barrel to you the condition is such that I hope it will significantly
36:17outlast us all may I suggest that we repair to the bar and I'll be delighted to stand the first round
36:26oh that is phenomenal yeah oh the pain I did the hard work yeah I just I'll tell you know all up got
36:37it all sound again follow me gentlemen I'll clear the way I've never had to knock at the tower before to
36:42gain entry so it's the first for me to do that and it's their private bar that nobody can normally come
36:47to so it's a very special day the possession went really well the barrel looks amazing I'm extremely happy
36:52because it's my first function went without a hitch and now I might even treat myself to a gin and tonic
36:58in there also coming up will the medieval palace be ready in time for its grand reopening we've been
37:09planning for this for for months now we just want to make sure the conditions are absolutely perfect
37:14and emotions run high as the poppy display reaches full bloom it's an installation that has talked to
37:21people and it moves them so that's good in the medieval palace the final touches are being added ready
37:44for the exhibition to open to the public I can't set the light levels yet and Charles and the
37:51conservation team are feeling the heat as they prepare to maneuver this extraordinary key
37:56artifact into its new home we've been planning for this for for months now believe it or not it's an
38:05incredibly exciting object and so we just want to make sure the conditions are absolutely perfect
38:09this fish trap has survived over 700 years okay it's a one two three
38:18but one wrong move and this unique piece of history could be lost forever
38:28I think we want it back a little bit more okay hold on and then central it's nice I think that's good
38:40I think we've got it it's always tense bring objects into spaces but a great relief to have it in it's
38:48looking absolutely fantastic after months of meticulous research hundreds of hours of work from tower staff and
38:57contractors including restoring over two kilometers of wall decorations visitors can now see what it was
39:04really like to live in a medieval palace over 700 years ago initially when I stepped inside I felt my heart
39:13stopped a little bit because it's so impressive to walk on the same floors where kings of England have
39:19walked I love the tapestries I like the creaking floor like the smell of the place it's just evocative
39:26once alive with hundreds of members of the royal household people can step back in time and view Edward
39:34the first traveling bed that could be packed up for the king's many journeys they can imagine the great
39:40hall crowded with servants sleeping side by side while the kitchens worked around the clock to feed them all
39:46and it's fantastic to see visitors enjoying the space after all our hard work giving just a glimpse of what the
39:53medieval world would have been like
40:00the medieval palace isn't the only part of the tower feeling the love
40:04after nine days of blood sweat and tears the poppy installation is almost complete designer Tom Piper and
40:13the man who created the poppies Paul Cummins are on site to ensure everything is perfect I've been bending
40:20the wires and making all the poppies go that way so it looks like the explosion is ripping out and it just
40:26looks more natural I'm just going around adjusting the heights and trying to make the poppies feel more like a
40:33liquid that's in motion all the boxes are now empty this install period has been absolutely brutal
40:42I've done 12 30 nowadays every day for for nearly two weeks I need my glass of wine tonight
40:57months of painstaking planning have finally paid off
41:00and the poppy display commemorating the 80th anniversary of vee day is ready to be open to
41:09the public on the 6th of may 2025 with 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
41:30it is an amazing display it really is and watching it all come together was superb
41:39the impact is just breathtaking it really is a thoughtful provocative design
41:50it's very important to me that you know we honor the veterans
41:53uh and everybody has relatives who suffered in the second world war my father was a
41:58japanese prisoner of war and ended up for three years in a japanese prisoner of war camp and
42:04nearly died so it's an installation that does does talk to people and it moves
42:12to the next time it's the biggest day of the year for the tower as the queen officially opens this
42:29spectacular poppy installation i can't help feeling a little bit nervous about this you never know what
42:34might happen one of the fortress's youngest residents prepares for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with her
42:41majesty i've been practicing my bow would you like to see my bow and we reveal exactly why henry
42:50the 8th had his uncle locked away he loved arthur he imprisoned him in a cold dark cell
43:09so
43:14you
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