Cleaning and conservation work at the Tower of London

When I used to look through picture books of England as a child, one of the things I remember noticing in the old photos (probably mostly taken in the 60s and 70s) was the dark coating from pollution on some of the buildings, in particular the Tower of London (the White Tower) and Westminster Abbey. By the time I saw these buildings in person for the first time (May 1998), the Abbey and the south face of the White Tower had been all cleaned up and were strikingly bright compared to their previous condition. Now, the other three faces of the White Tower are setting cleaned and conserved in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London.

You can find out more about the project and follow the project manager’s diary at the project website at the Historic Royal Palaces site. There is also information on a new display at Hampton Court about the young Henry VIII, since we’re approaching the 500th anniversary of his accession to the throne.