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00:00The Tower of London, a world-famous historic monument.
00:05There will be stories about murders!
00:09Over its thousand years of history,
00:11everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.
00:14King Richard III.
00:16Captain Howard.
00:17King Henry VIII declared.
00:18My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life.
00:24Cheeky.
00:26And this year, it's non-stop.
00:29Oh, no!
00:30With grand commemorations.
00:32Jumping, Jiminy's!
00:34At the ancient fortress, including a royal visit.
00:38I truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.
00:40We've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold.
00:43Oh, my gosh.
00:44While its dedicated staff...
00:46High five!
00:47Yeah!
00:48...work to keep everything on track.
00:50You know this is the queue for the toilet, don't you?
00:52No, I'm not feeding you any more, no.
00:54In this episode, the team must get nearly 30,000 fragile ceramic balloons safely into the Tower.
01:03Obviously, the poppies are very delicate, and if we drop the boxes, they will break, and that would be not a good thing.
01:09The ravenous ravens eat the beef eaters out of house and home.
01:16Something else?
01:17Chips?
01:18Ice cream?
01:20And emotions are running high at the Tower.
01:23My father was in the war, and fortunately, he came back.
01:28This is a reminder of the ones that never came back.
01:32Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.
01:44Hello.
01:45Can we have a selfie with you?
01:46Of course you can, absolutely, yeah.
01:49Look, we're all matching.
01:52It's 11am at the Tower, prime arrival time for tourists.
01:57Look at that, Bobby Dazzler.
02:00Even after years working at the fortress, its 35 Yeoman warders can still never predict what the public might ask.
02:09The question I keep getting asked quite recently, do we get Amazon delivered?
02:13I got asked one day, excuse me, do you work here?
02:16I said, I don't know, what gave you that impression?
02:19How hot are we?
02:20I'm always hot, Mum.
02:21Oh, sorry, temperature-wise, oh, sorry, yes.
02:24Yes.
02:26Despite their odd questions, the tourists are the lifeblood of the Tower, with thousands of them passing over the drawbridge every day.
02:35To 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.
02:46In his headquarters at the Bywood Tower, Yeoman jailer Clive Towle is watching closely.
02:53Today is a big day.
02:55We're expecting 30,000 poppies to be delivered from the Imperial War Museum.
03:00The fragile ceramic flowers are part of a spectacular display for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
03:06Now, normally, we get all this done before work starts, but it's just not going to happen like that this time.
03:12There's too many poppies.
03:13It's going to have to be delivered during a busy period.
03:18When the pallets have been unloaded and moved, we might then just need to unwrap and get a box.
03:23Yeah.
03:24Yeah.
03:25Ali Richardson is the Tower's poppy project manager, responsible for turning the plans into reality.
03:32It's a dream job, but this installation involves some formidable logistics.
03:37I think it was 874 boxes on 23 pallets.
03:41So, ultimately, the buck stops with me, I've got to get the poppies into the tower safely.
03:47The poppies first came to the tower in 2014, to mark the anniversary of World War One,
03:53with a breathtaking display of almost 900,000 of them planted in the moat.
03:59Now, 30,000 are returning for a smaller but equally important commemoration for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
04:11You're just coming down St. Kathleen's Way now, are you?
04:15But only if Ali can get them in in the first place.
04:20The van's coming in here, so if I could ask you to move to that side, that would be great.
04:24The poppies are arriving in large lorries on the wharf, alongside the River Thames.
04:31Unfortunately, when the east drawbridge was built hundreds of years ago,
04:35it wasn't designed for large truck delivery.
04:40But it's the only access into the tower for vehicles,
04:43so all 23 pallets will need to be unloaded, then transferred into smaller vans.
04:52Oh, just try not to...
04:53Coming back now.
04:55The cobbles make for a bumpy ride.
04:59I'm not sure that it's on the tail left.
05:02Especially when the cargo is thousands of hand-crafted porcelain blooms that took a year to make.
05:12Obviously, the poppies are very delicate, and if we drop the boxes, they will break,
05:16and that would be not a good thing.
05:19But it's not just the poppies that Ali must ensure stay in one piece.
05:30It's also the tourists.
05:32Can you just hold on here a second?
05:34Can I just ask you to wait for the van to come through?
05:36Just hold on a minute.
05:38The tide of visitors is rising.
05:41Can you just mind out for the van coming through?
05:43Hold on a minute, the van is going backwards.
05:45And threatening to scupper the entire operation.
05:50This is very difficult.
05:51The wharf is very busy.
05:52It's always very busy.
05:53Lots of visitors all moving around,
05:55and then trucks moving around at the same time is always a bit of a challenge.
06:00If you can just go that way.
06:02All 30,000 poppies need to be safely inside the tower by 5.30pm,
06:08when the doors lock for the night.
06:11Finally managed to get one in,
06:13and, um, 22 to go.
06:16Goodness me.
06:17It's quite a tricky process.
06:24Blissfully unaware of the chaos outside on the wharf,
06:27Yeoman warder A.J. Clarke is on her way to open up the Beef Eaters Club.
06:34Forget the Queen Vic or the Rover's return,
06:36The Keys is one of the most exclusive boozes in the country.
06:42Tucked away within the medieval fortress walls,
06:45unless you live and work at the tower, it's invite only.
06:48And even then, bar manager A.J. has some hard and fast rules to abide by.
06:54We do not do cocktails.
06:56There's no Del Boys drinking in here, no pina coladas, no margaritas.
07:00And the only true gin that we sell here is beef-eater gin.
07:05So if you're going to come here for a different type of gin,
07:08you need to get yourself back down to Wetherspoons,
07:10because it's not going to happen.
07:11The Keys has been serving pints to residents for around 80 years,
07:16and was once one of several taverns within the tower.
07:20It's now the last pub standing,
07:22but its interior has become a tribute to the beef-eaters themselves.
07:26Things like Toby Juggs, random heads of yeoman orders.
07:29We are always looking for something that little bit strange
07:34that's got something to do with a beef-eater.
07:37Despite her love for the quirky club,
07:39A.J. has decided it's time for last orders.
07:45Six years is long enough,
07:47and it's time to hand over that mantle to one of the yeoman
07:50that is a lot younger than me.
07:51I will miss it,
07:53but the pub is literally 25 paces from my front door,
07:56so not that much.
07:59It's 5pm.
08:01Six hours and 23 trips across the drawbridge later,
08:0530,000 poppers have finally made it inside.
08:08It's a huge relief for Ali.
08:11The Tower of London is a nightmare location to deliver to,
08:14but we've managed it,
08:16and so the next step will be the actual installation,
08:19and that's going to be really challenging,
08:21but it's all what makes working at the Tower such fun.
08:24A nice cup of tea we can go and miss.
08:27It's been a long day.
08:30Coming up,
08:31Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller makes the headlines.
08:35I'm very humbled to lay the first poppy on their behalf.
08:39And there's a raven rebellion
08:41as two naughty new chicks have a peck at the boss.
08:44So just proof there,
08:46you've got to have your wits about you,
08:48at all times.
08:57It's 7am in April.
08:59Too early for tourists,
09:01but there's a buzz of excitement on the South Lawn.
09:04Today is the start of the poppy installation.
09:07To launch the event,
09:09Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller
09:10is about to broadcast live to the nation.
09:14It's an exciting moment
09:15for poppy project manager Ali Richardson.
09:18BBC are here, which is quite a coup,
09:20and it's nice that the public all over the country
09:23will be inspired to come down and come and visit the display.
09:26Once you see Tim moving towards you...
09:28Oh, my God.
09:30Rob will have the honour
09:31of planting the first poppy live on BBC Breakfast.
09:35I was kind of jealous of the guy
09:37when we planted the first poppy in 2014,
09:40and now I get to do it myself this time around.
09:43I've just got to make sure
09:44that I can get down and get up again.
09:46That's the main thing.
09:4720 seconds.
09:48Standby.
09:50Let's have a quick chat to them.
09:52Chief Yeoman Warder,
09:53what does it mean to you to be holding one of these again?
09:56You're a former serviceman yourself.
09:58It's quite surreal and a wondrous thing for me.
10:02I'm very privileged to be planting this today.
10:05OK, Rob, I think the moment has come.
10:08A poppy, for me, is all about the sacrifice of others.
10:12So we're putting 30,000 of them up there,
10:15but that's just a representation of everyone
10:18who gave their lives in the Second World War.
10:20And, of course, I'm very humbled
10:22to lay the first poppy on their behalf.
10:37March.
10:39With the early morning BBC interview over,
10:42the gates are opened and the tourists flooding.
10:45It's back to work for the Tower team.
10:48Are you on your break?
10:51Loving the bare skin, mate.
10:54Since Yeoman Warder AJ decided to step down
10:56as manager of the Quays pub,
10:58her successor, Barney Barnett,
11:01has been preparing to take over
11:02one of the most vital jobs in the Tower.
11:08Ready for duty?
11:09Can't wait.
11:10Fabulous.
11:11What's the last time you've changed a barrel, my friend?
11:13It's been a few years.
11:14Been a few years since I've changed one.
11:16I can't wait.
11:17I can't wait to be the landlord.
11:18It's a huge responsibility.
11:19It's the hub, the heart of the community.
11:23Big shoes to fill with AJ doing it for over six years,
11:26but, no, I'm really excited and looking forward to it.
11:28Your work here is done.
11:29Thank you very much.
11:30Easy as that.
11:32As the Quays is also a museum of beef eater memorabilia,
11:36Barnett and the team are the task of restoring
11:38an old gin barrel that's been gifted to the pub
11:41by Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller.
11:44It is a great piece.
11:45It will look fab in the bar, I think.
11:49To bring it back to its former glory,
11:51they've called in the Coopers,
11:53traditional barrel makers.
11:56It takes about seven years for an apprentice to learn the skill.
12:00The craft is regulated by a guild or livery company
12:04called the Worshipful Company of Coopers.
12:10Rough hewn, the staves are trimmed and hollowed out on one side.
12:13One stave at a time, the barrel takes shape,
12:15and although it contains 70 feet of unjointed timber,
12:18it's completely watertight.
12:24Once the Coopers have spruced up the barrel,
12:26it will be welcomed back to the tower
12:28as Barney holds his first party in charge of the keys.
12:32Barney is going to be brilliant.
12:34He's got his head screwed on.
12:35We want to enhance the club itself,
12:37and there's no better way to do that than with fresh eyes,
12:40so he's going to be absolutely bob on.
12:47All right, you've got one? Yep.
12:49Over on the south lawn,
12:51now that project manager Ali has got the poppies inside the tower,
12:55there's just the small job of fixing 30,000 of them
12:59to enormous metal structures,
13:01all in time for the grand opening in nine days' time.
13:05It's all starting to happen.
13:06To finally feel that the structures
13:08that we've only looked at in drawings
13:10are now here in 3D is fantastic.
13:14The ambitious design features a cascade of poppies,
13:17tumbling from the white tower,
13:19then pouring across the lawn
13:21towards the area bombed in the Second World War.
13:24The first job is to cover the six-metre-tall metal structure
13:28called the Splash, with 2,000 blooms.
13:33They have rubber washers which sit on the spikes,
13:35and then the ceramic poppy goes over the top of that,
13:38and then a couple more washers hold it in place nice and securely.
13:42But it's a prickly job for contractors Maxwell Malden and Mark Jacobs.
13:47We've got the four quadrants,
13:49and ultimately we need to slot them all together.
13:51They're quite spiky.
13:53Trying to slot them all together
13:55without them all getting tangled up with each other
13:57is quite a challenge.
13:59A few weeks ago, the team did a test installation.
14:02Here we go.
14:03Yeah.
14:04A little lift up and slide on the timbers.
14:06But not with 2,000 fragile poppies attached.
14:11Don't get ready, Stevie.
14:13Ah, ah, ah, ah.
14:14You guys need to hold up.
14:15Once we've sort of got over the engineering issues,
14:18then I think it's going to look great.
14:20Yeah, that's it.
14:22But obviously there's a long way to go.
14:32Underneath the archways there,
14:34you're going to see a little bit of a glimpse of a green roof.
14:37Now that is the roof of the raven enclosure.
14:41A few paces away from William the Conqueror's White Tower
14:46is the home of the fortress's iconic ravens.
14:50They are looked after by a man
14:51probably with the coolest name this side of Middle Earth,
14:54the Raven Master.
14:56There are currently six ravens guarding the fortress,
14:59the minimum needed according to tower folklore.
15:02But a few weeks ago, Raven Master Barney Chandler
15:05decided to bring in some backup.
15:08So we're delighted.
15:09Two new members of staff bring our number up to eight,
15:12so that means we've got two spare, two in reserve.
15:16Barney's been giving the new recruits
15:18round-the-clock care in his kitchen.
15:21But now they're six weeks old, practically teenagers.
15:24All good.
15:25And they're ready to take their place
15:27with the rest of the colony guarding the tower.
15:30This is a big day.
15:31The next stage in the Raven's life,
15:34they're going to make their way today to their new home.
15:37I will miss them to a certain extent,
15:40but it's been like looking after newborn babies.
15:43A lot of work.
15:46The as yet nameless chicks will follow in the footsteps
15:49of tower legends like Jim, who served until he was 44,
15:53or Grip, who survived the Blitz.
15:56All right, chaps, all good?
15:59But sudden changes to a Raven's environment can cause stress,
16:03so fingers crossed the chicks will like their new home.
16:07Hi, guys.
16:08Here you go.
16:09Are we going to do this?
16:10Are you going to be good to me?
16:11Come on, then.
16:12Let's have you out.
16:13Let's have you out.
16:14I know.
16:15I know.
16:16There you go.
16:17There you go.
16:18So far, so good.
16:20But they might not like what's coming next.
16:23Hi, Bonnie.
16:24Hi, Trace.
16:25Yeoman warder Tracey Machin has come to help
16:28with a tricky but vital task,
16:30tagging the young Ravens with a plastic bracelet
16:33that tells the keepers and the public who's who.
16:36It's totally pain-free,
16:38and they won't even know that they've got them on once they're there.
16:40But has anyone told the Ravens that?
16:43Oh, you're going to let go.
16:45Keep clinging on.
16:46Super keen to stay.
16:47Let's go.
16:48That's it.
16:49Well done.
16:50Well done, my friend.
16:51Which one should we go for?
16:52Which one?
16:53You are so good.
16:54This must be the ladies.
16:55Just a little bit of glue on there.
16:57Okay.
16:58Pop her back on the perch.
17:00One down and one to go.
17:02But Raven number two knows what's coming
17:04and is having none of it.
17:06There we go.
17:07Oh, almost.
17:09And gives Barney a nasty nip to show who's boss.
17:12Maybe.
17:13Oh.
17:14Oh.
17:15Trying to hold her away.
17:16Sorry.
17:17Ouch.
17:18This is actually the first time it's actually gone for me.
17:21So just proof there you've got to have your wits about you.
17:24At all times.
17:34The new Ravens will soon be guarding some of the tower's most famous sites.
17:38Definitely see the white tower.
17:41The crown jewels if you go through this archway.
17:43We're now standing at the most famous.
17:45Or should I say infamous gates in the world.
17:48Traitor's gate.
17:49But most tourists aren't aware that just above this notorious archway is one of the tower's greatest treasures.
17:57The medieval palace.
17:59More than 200 years before Henry VIII at Hampton Court, Henry III and his son Edward spent a fortune creating an incredible palace inside the tower.
18:10And unbelievably, it was big enough to house the entire royal household, plus their guests, around 1,000 people.
18:18Although they were built over 700 years ago, remarkably, parts of the royal apartments still survive to this day.
18:25Curator Charles Farris thinks they're some of the most extraordinary rooms in the tower.
18:31This is where the kings and queens would have lived and worked and entertained people when they were staying at the tower.
18:40To help the public understand what life would have been like in a royal apartment in the 1200s, the medieval palace is undergoing a major renovation.
18:49The next time visitors come here, it's going to look really different.
18:53We're going to have beautiful wall hangings on the walls, rich tapestries to really give the feel of what the medieval palace would have felt like.
19:01This is a really important part of the tower's history and not one that many of our visitors know that much about.
19:08Back on the south lawn, it's protective gloves at the ready, in the epic endeavour of assembling and planting 30,000 poppies.
19:21I've done quite a lot of these now. Not as many as some of our volunteers who have been amazing.
19:27It is quite hard. We're getting muscles in all sorts of places that we never knew we had.
19:32But it is a nice way to keep history alive.
19:35I do get emotional at times, looking at them.
19:39My father was in the war. He was out in Burma.
19:44And fortunately, he came back. So this is a reminder of the ones that never came back.
20:00Now, Anne Boleyn came down the River Thames with a flotilla of barges.
20:04It was magnificent. The King of England declared,
20:08My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life.
20:16Cheeky.
20:17There are lots of famous names associated with the tower.
20:20Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn.
20:23Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey.
20:25Princess Elizabeth and Queen Mary Tudor.
20:27For a monarch living in the tower's medieval palace, there were hundreds of people employed to take care of their every need.
20:36But finding out what life was like for the average royal servant working at the tower in the 1200s is not easy.
20:43One way to do it is to follow the money. So curator Charles is checking out the palace accounts.
20:50Clothing is really interesting because it identifies how important people were considered to be, what their status was.
20:57So you've got bannerets and knights. These are sort of like the fighting noble part of the household.
21:03But then you've got a whole load of different people, lower in status perhaps, but had really, really crucial roles.
21:10Listed amongst them is this chap called Philip de Beauvais, and he's described as the king's surgeon.
21:17Philip's job brought him rare access to the monarch, but it was high stakes.
21:23As well as caring for the royal family's health, Philip had to follow Edward into battle in case he was injured.
21:30The king's life was literally in his hands.
21:34Philip the surgeon received eight marks for his robes for the year,
21:39which is a pretty substantial amount of money, the same money that knights are getting at the same time.
21:44So it was a really important role, but clearly one that he was well rewarded for.
21:48There are surprisingly few women listed in the accounts, but one, Matilda de Woutem, had a vital role.
21:56She washed the king's clothes.
21:59After a hard day's work, she properly slept on a mat on the floor.
22:03But as a laundress, she got to know the intimate details of the royal family,
22:08which had its perks when she came to retire.
22:12So her robes, we can see from the account, cost two marks, which is a substantial amount of money.
22:17And we even know that when she finally retires, he asked the monks of Bury St Edmunds to look after her.
22:24So a king like Edward I is even looking after her in her old age as well.
22:31The details of Matilda the laundress and Philip the surgeon's lives will be revealed in the revamped medieval palace.
22:39Hopefully, the lives of these amazing people will really bring the medieval world to life for our visitors.
22:45Coming up, the medieval palace team reveal their jewel in the crown.
22:51It's an absolute miracle, really, that it survived.
22:54And the next stage of the poppy installation gives Ali a real headache.
22:58It's quite a challenge to hang things off a scheduled ancient monument without doing any damage.
23:03Just move over to your right for me, folks. Just move over to your right slightly.
23:16As the tourists form an orderly line waiting to see the tower's instruments of torture or the crown jewels...
23:23You know this is the key for the toilet, don't you? Oh, is that right?
23:26Many will be unaware that the White Tower was once the country's main gunpowder store, home to thousands of barrels of explosives.
23:39And the fortress would have used coopers or cask makers to keep the barrels in good order.
23:47These days, there are only five traditional coopers left in England.
23:51Including Ewan Finlay, who is fixing up the chief yeoman warder's barrel for the Keys pub.
24:00But today, he's involved in something very different.
24:06Well done, coopers!
24:08Just a mile away from the tower, at the historic Guildhall Yard,
24:12the coopers' annual barrel race is underway.
24:16That's very quick.
24:17Traditionally, apprentice coopers were rolled in their barrels to mark the completion of their training.
24:25Nowadays, it's just the barrels that get rolled, as teams compete to be the fastest.
24:31I've got my hammer and driver just in case these hoops fall off.
24:34They are screwed on, but you never know.
24:37Second!
24:39And it's all overseen by the worshipful master, Lee Johnson.
24:44Back in the day, the tower would have had hundreds of barrels, largely containing things like gunpowder,
24:50but also, if they were ever under siege, they had to sort of be self-sufficient.
24:53So they'd have cars full of food, water, wine, everything.
24:56So we've always had a strong connection with the tower through our trade.
25:02What a finish!
25:03That historical connection is about to be honoured in style.
25:08Our next event is all of the coopers going in procession to the Tower of London to return
25:13the wonderful barrel that we have fully restored for them to be placed back into their pub.
25:18It'll be a highlight of our year.
25:19Back at the Tower, the Poppy team are halfway through their nine-day schedule.
25:27And the time has come for the most difficult part of the entire project,
25:32attaching the structure known as the Cascade to the top of the White Tower.
25:37The Cascade is probably the bit of the design that has given me the most sleepless nights.
25:44It's quite a challenge to hang things off a scheduled ancient monument without doing any damage.
25:50Time to call in the big guns.
25:52The 52-metre-high crane will lift the pieces of metal structure over William the Conqueror's 900-year-old castle,
26:01where they'll be fixed in place.
26:05See what we're like for wait.
26:07It's the first time anything like this has been attempted.
26:11We've taken every precaution we can.
26:13The last thing we want to do is put a dent in a building that's been here as long as this one has.
26:19Top of the tower, please, Lee.
26:23What they can't plan for is the weather.
26:27That was a bit of a gust there.
26:28Yeah. Is that just the breeze, or what?
26:30Yeah.
26:32Up at the top, 90 feet up, the wind swells around the building quite a lot,
26:36and it causes the basket to sway a little bit, which is a bit disconcerting.
26:41Close, but not too close.
26:43So if you put that first just for protection, put it on the stonework.
26:46And the challenge with that is obviously getting close enough to the building
26:49to make sure that we can pass the bits of structure over the crenellations
26:54without making any contact with the fabric of the building.
26:56That's going to be tricky. Slow and steady.
27:05It's a long way up. It's quite breezy.
27:08Everything's twice as difficult when you're a long way in the air.
27:11Whilst the installation team fight the rain at the top of the tower,
27:16Inside the medieval palace, a careful transformation is taking place.
27:23A little bit of water and a little bit of paint.
27:27And then on to the next bit.
27:29Specialist decorator Laura Stevens has just a few days to put the finishing touches on the rooms,
27:34as they might have looked in the 1200s, using a technique called block and rose pattern.
27:41People think that the medieval period was sort of dull and draught,
27:45but for the aristocracy they wanted to show off, because otherwise how do people know that you're wealthy and powerful,
27:51unless you display it in the form of lovely bright colours in your clothes and your surroundings.
27:56Edward I didn't only redecorate, he was also responsible for redesigning one of the tower's iconic features, the moat.
28:07Today it's covered with grass and wildflowers, but back then he expanded it to a hefty 50 metres wide
28:14and filled it with water from the Thames.
28:17It meant none of his enemies could get anywhere near.
28:21And the canny king went one better.
28:24He had the moat stocked with fish, so it doubled as a handy food supply.
28:30700 years later, conservators Mia Robinson and Nelson Garcia Berrios
28:36are unwrapping an amazing artefact that brings Edward's clever plan vividly to life.
28:41It is an extremely fragile object, so, above from being exciting, it's also very, very nerve-wracking in some ways.
28:53This incredibly rare wicker work trap for catching fish is almost completely intact
29:00and was discovered in the mud at the bottom of the moat.
29:03Almost free to touch.
29:05Where it had lain undisturbed through the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria.
29:11Only being uncovered in the reign of Elizabeth II, 700 years after it was first used.
29:18That's incredible.
29:19They're really cool.
29:24It is highly unusual for an ordinary, practical object like this to survive.
29:30So this fish trap gives a unique insight into how tower residents were fed.
29:34It's a completely ingenious design. It's made from willow sticks that have been bound together
29:41and it's been weighted down with two large pieces of flint.
29:44And it's an absolute miracle, really, that it survived.
29:47And it's really exciting because it demonstrates for us that the moat was not only a defensive structure,
29:53but also a way of feeding the population of the tower.
29:56Perhaps Matilda the laundress and Philip the surgeon enjoyed fish for dinner at the palace.
30:03With the public opening just a few days away, the fish trap is 3D scanned to help the team plan how to conserve it
30:12before it takes pride of place in the new exhibition.
30:14And it's fantastic that we can share it in the medieval palace for the very first time.
30:25There are always hungry mouths that need feeding at the tower.
30:31The ravens each eat over 60 kilograms of raw meat and biscuits in a year.
30:37And the new arrivals are no exception.
30:39Yeoman warder Dave Coleman is on dinner duty.
30:42And what we're going to do is give them a bit of feed.
30:45Here we go. It looks a little bit dramatic, but it's actually...
30:48You quite like it, don't you?
30:50Here we go.
30:52Ravens have two parts to their stomachs.
30:55When they swallow their food, they bring up any bones as a pellet from the first
30:59before the second grinds their meal.
31:02Come on, it's your go now.
31:04That's perfect.
31:06But the chicks need extra calcium.
31:08In the wild, the mother would push the beak into their mouths,
31:12the same as I'm using my finger.
31:13And we're pushing it past that first stomach into their main stomach,
31:16so they're decomposing bone as well, which they need to grow.
31:20The new recruits will continue to be hand-fed for the next couple of weeks
31:25until they're able to eat independently.
31:28Something else? Chips? Ice cream?
31:30The raven master's fingers, perhaps.
31:39Boinging around.
31:41I reckon you could charge for rides in this thing.
31:44With the weather now calmed to a gentle breeze,
31:48the poppy team has managed to secure the cascade to the White Tower,
31:53but the historic site has not made it easy.
31:55Amazing how irregular the wall is up close, isn't it?
31:58Yes.
31:59It looks like a flat wall, but it's actually hugely irregular.
32:04The tower's walls are not 100% straight,
32:08and that's always going to be the case with a thousand-year-old building,
32:12but it means that drawing designs on a computer
32:15and what you find in real life are a little bit different.
32:18Luckily, the design can be adjusted to fit around William the Conqueror's brickwork.
32:26You can't be tired. You've been asleep all afternoon.
32:29In her home in the hospital block,
32:32Yomit Warder A.J. Clarke and her furry family are preparing for VE Day.
32:37This is Mr Wellington Walter, named after the Duke of Wellington.
32:42This one down here is Bess Lilibet.
32:44She's named after my two favourite queens.
32:47OK, thank you. We can hear you.
32:50And this is their son, Reggie Ronald.
32:53After the Cray twins, because he has a bit of an attitude.
32:57Reggie.
32:59When you're top dog at the tower, you've got to look the part.
33:03So A.J. has had special poppy-themed harnesses made.
33:08Shall we put our collars on?
33:10It's nice to wear our poppy and wear it with pride and remember the servicemen and women that gave their all so that we could have what we have today.
33:20Shall we go in the moat?
33:21Yes, OK, good boy.
33:24Let's go.
33:28The south moat is off limits to the public.
33:32But the sausages' new outfits still draw a crowd.
33:36I was not here at the Tower of London when the first installation of the poppies happened in 2014.
33:42So, yeah, I'm really, really pleased that I will actually be here when they open.
33:47It's going to be quite something to see.
33:48Emma?
33:50Oh, there you are.
33:52In the quays, new pub manager Yeoman Warder Barney Barnet and the rest of the bar team are preparing to welcome the refurbished Beefeater Barrel to the Tower.
34:08I'm going to chop plenty of lemons then, just if you've got quite a busy night.
34:11I think we need to check the stock as well, mate, because I think we need some more gin.
34:14Guys, we need to get changed because the coopers are going to be here soon.
34:18OK.
34:21Of course, nothing at the tower can happen without some formality.
34:26On the wharf, the worshipful company of coopers have arrived, ready to present the chief Yeoman Warder's newly refurbished barrel.
34:35Master Cooper Ewan Findlay has painstakingly restored the cask to its former glory.
34:42The barrel itself was completely dried out, very tatty, and he had to take the whole thing apart and rebuild it, and he's done an exceptional job.
34:52As the public leave, Yeoman Warder Paul Langley prepares to welcome the barrel through the gates.
34:59You 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, a long-standing tradition of the nation's safe house.
35:16The company of coopers are about two minutes away. We know they're foaming up outside.
35:20They're going to bang on the doors and state their business.
35:23Scott!
35:27Yeah, we're just rehearsing.
35:30At exactly six o'clock, the coopers begin their procession towards the tower.
35:36OK.
35:38And their entry is barred in a time-honoured challenge.
35:41Great, 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.
35:56With no danger to the king or the security of the realm, the coopers and their barrel are allowed in, in honour of the thousands that would have passed this way over centuries.
36:06APPLAUSE
36:12We are delighted to return this barrel to you.
36:16The condition is such that I hope it will significantly outlast us all.
36:21May I suggest that we repair to the bar, and I will be delighted to stand the first round.
36:32Wow.
36:33Now that is phenomenal.
36:34Yeah.
36:35Oh, the painter did the hard work.
36:37Yeah, I just, I tightened it all up, got it all sound again.
36:40Follow me, gentlemen, I'll clear the way.
36:42I've never had to knock at the tower before to gain entry, so it's the first for me to do that.
36:47And it's their private bar that nobody can normally come to, so it's a very special day.
36:51The possession went really well, the barrel looks amazing.
36:54I'm extremely happy because it's my first function, went without a hitch, and now I might even treat myself to a gin and tonic in there also.
37:05Coming up, will the medieval palace be ready in time for its grand reopening?
37:11We've been planning for this for months now.
37:14We just want to make sure the conditions are absolutely perfect.
37:17And emotions run high as the poppy display reaches full bloom.
37:20It's an installation that does talk to people, and it moves them. So that's good.
37:26In the medieval palace, the final touches are being added ready for the exhibition to open to the public.
37:46I can't set the light levels yet.
37:49And Charles and the conservation team are feeling the heat as they prepare to manoeuvre this extraordinary key artefact into its new home.
38:00We've been planning for this for months now, believe it or not.
38:03It'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.
38:14OK.
38:16One, two, three.
38:17One, two, three.
38:22But 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.
38:32I think we want it back a little bit more.
38:34OK.
38:36And then central.
38:38It's nice.
38:39I think that's good.
38:41It's always tense to bring objects into spaces, but a great relief to have it in.
38:47It's looking absolutely fantastic.
38:50After months of meticulous research, hundreds of hours of work from tower staff and contractors, including restoring over two kilometres of wall decorations, visitors can now see what it was really like to live in a medieval palace over 700 years ago.
39:08Initially, 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.
39:19I love the tapestries.
39:21I like the creaking floor.
39:23I like the smell of the place.
39:25It's just evocative.
39:27Once 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.
39:38They can imagine the great hall crowded with servants sleeping side by side while the kitchens worked round the clock to feed them all.
39:46And 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.
40:04After 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.
40:17I've been bending the wires and making all the poppies go that way.
40:22So it looks like the explosion's rippling out and it just looks more natural.
40:27I'm just going around adjusting the heights and trying to make the poppies feel more like a liquid that's in motion.
40:33All the boxes are now empty. This in-store period has been absolutely brutal.
40:41I've done 12, 13 hour days every day for nearly two weeks.
40:46I need my glass of wine tonight.
40:47Months of painstaking planning have finally paid off.
41:02And the poppy display commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day is ready to be open to the public on the 6th of May, 2025.
41:12With a royal visit by none other than Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
41:18It'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.
41:38The impact is just breathtaking. It really is a thoughtful, provocative design.
41:45It's very important to me that, you know, we honour the veterans and everybody has relatives who suffered in the Second World War.
41:56My father was a Japanese prisoner of war and ended up for three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and nearly died.
42:03So, it's an installation that does, does talk to people. And it moves them. So that's good.
42:12So that's good.
42:13Next time, it's the biggest day of the year for the tower as the Queen officially opens this spectacular poppy installation.
42:30I can't help Phoebe 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.
42:40I've been practising my bow. Would you like to see my bow?
42:47And we reveal exactly why Henry VIII had his uncle locked away.
42:52He loved Arthur. He imprisoned him in a cold, dark cell.
42:56All that inside the Tower of London next Thursday at 8.
43:01Tomorrow, a magical seasonal trip down the Rhine.
43:04Christmas cruising with Susan Kalman. That's brand new at 8.
43:08Next, a magical moment, but becoming big winners unlocks some home truths.
43:13Sue Johnston stars in Five's new play for today in just a moment.
43:16We'll see you in just a moment.
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