Historical Explorations
London is an incredibly old city, dating all the way back to the 1st Century AD when it was settled by the Romans. It has since gone on to be one of the most historically rich cities in the world. While studying abroad, I hope to document some of that history here.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror. This foreboding fortress was not made for the protection of London, but rather for its compliance under William's reign, as London was home to many powerful lords and merchants in England. The part shown in the picture is the White Tower, which was built by William, however the rest of the castle was built by other monarchs such as Edward I and Henry III. If you should decide to go, set aside a whole day for it. It is way larger than it looks in pictures.
![IMG_6873[1].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a153c0_a130954f6de24150a47d6026c617cbb6~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_488,h_366,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/a153c0_a130954f6de24150a47d6026c617cbb6~mv2.jpg)
![IMG_7024[1].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a153c0_12dbcd2840824394b160037da2a3845d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_489,h_367,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/a153c0_12dbcd2840824394b160037da2a3845d~mv2.jpg)
The Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich has been a place of learning and research since its founding in 1675 by King Charles II. While many great scientists would work here, such as Sir Isaac Newton, the observatory's biggest claim to fame is being the site of the Prime Meridian, or 0 degrees longitude. The modern way of gauging longitude by use of chronometer was developed by English clockmaker John Harrison, who was rewarded by the observatory. They then dubbed Greenwich Observatory as "o degrees longitude".