White Tower First Floor
The first floor galleries contains: the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, the Royal Castle Gallery, and the Royal Armour gallery.
It is reached by a steep spiral staircase in the south east corner of the building. Passing through the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, you move into the galleries.
Originally these rooms extended up to the pitched roofs – the sooty outline of the original roof-line can be seen on the wall of the floor above. In 1490 an additional floor was inserted, and renewed in 1603-5 for the White Tower’s new role as a powder magazine. The domestic nature of the original space is reflected in the provision of fireplaces set into the walls, and at the north end, the garderobes (toilets).
Throughout the building the windows, with the exception of a few upper ones on the south side, were enlarged in the 18th century. In this gallery the windows are blocked in to show their original form. Look out for the two medieval bearing swords in the case at the north end of the room. At nearly 8ft long (2.4m) and just over 14lbs in weight (6kg), they were intended to be carried in procession before King Henry IV (1399-1413) or his son Henry V (1413-1422).
On the western side of the gallery are the Tudor and Stuart Royal armours. Henry VIII’s sporting achievements are celebrated with his spectacular silvered and engraved armour, the earliest surviving armour made in the royal workshops he set up at Greenwich.
In the case opposite is one of the last of Henry’s armours, a garniture of interchangeable pieces assembling in different combinations for use in tournament or war. Made in the same workshops twenty four years later it shows Henry’s increasing weight. The gallery also reflects Henry’s keen interest and investment in cutting edge technology with weapons and armours from his arsenal.
Among the boys armours are Edward VI’s (1547-1553) and armours of the Stuart princes. Charles I’s (1625-1649) gilt armour, although a little more subdued than when new, was made in Dutch workshops for his brother Prince Henry. Unfortunately, by the time it arrived in England in 1614, Henry had died and it passed to his brother Charles.
The last of the royal armours in the collection is the harquebusier’s armour of James II (1685-1688) with its decorative face guard formed from the royal coat of arms and supporters – very dashing if not the most practical.
Look out for the only personal armour of James I & VI (1603 – 1625) we know of. No record survives of James commissioning any personal armours; this was a gift from the Shogun of Japan: Tokugawa Hidetada, brought back by the East India Company in 1613. It has been on show at the Tower since at least 1660.
Notable objects located in this gallery
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Boy armour for Henry, Prince of Wales
Armour for a boy, probably Henry, Prince of Wales. Dutch, about 1608
Dates from 1608 | Object number: II.88
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Boy Armour of Charles I
Armour of King Charles I as a boy. Dutch, about 1616
Dates from 1616 | Object number: II.90
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Greenwich field armour
Field armour with decorated and gilt bands. English, Greenwich, about 1550.
Dates from 1550 | Object number: II.82
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Harquebusier’s armour
Harquebusier’s armour of Charles, Prince of Wales. English, probably Greenwich, about 1638–40
Dates from 1638 | Object number: II.92
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Silvered and engraved armour of Henry VIII
The Silvered and engraved armour of Henry VIII. English, Greenwich, about 1515
Dates from 1515 | Object number: II.5, VI.1, VI.2, VI.3, VI.4, VI.5
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Worcester field armour
Field armour of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester. English, Greenwich, about 1570
Dates from 1570 | Object number: II.83, VI.50
