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A fortress of the Conquest
The Tower was founded towards the end of 1066, as part of the Norman Conquest. Work on the White Tower, its great keep, is usually dated to 1078, with Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, overseeing the building for William the Conqueror; it was probably finished by 1100.


Rings of walls
Richard I created the inner ward, and Henry III and Edward I extended the castle in the 13th century, giving it the two rings of walls and the moat that largely stand today. Edward I also moved the Royal Mint into the Tower.
The Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders
The Crown Jewels are kept today in the Jewel House, on the ground floor of the Waterloo Block. The Yeoman Warders have been part of the Royal Bodyguard since at least 1509, and the Tower is cared for by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces.


