The Tower of London: Historic Royal Palaces

Firstly I’d suggest when booking that you check their accessibility guide as certain areas aren’t accessible if you have a physical disability, since it is a historic protected building and they didn’t have lifts in those buildings back in the day. I went yesterday and my body hates me today from navigating the cobbles inside and surrounding in my power chair. Outside they do have mats down to make a pathway for wheelchair users and those requiring a flat surface, however the floor it’s on is uneven and I was tilting all over the place in my chair that it was better for me to go on the cobbles between the archway under Tower Bridge and the entrance. The flag stones were a welcome break from the bumpiness. It was also hard when there were other wheelchair users or pushchairs coming towards you as one of you had to move onto the cobbles to let the other pass. If coming from under Tower Bridge, go onto the pavement to enter as there is no ramp from the road onto the pavement, and a planter blocks the way to the left hand side. Elsewhere I’d suggest not going on the kerbs as I found both inside and outside the tower, that there aren’t always ramps down from the kerbs at the end of the pathways which lead to a lot of turning round and retracting my tracks. Staff were very helpful but it’s not the easiest place to navigate accessible routes. Signs are up for a lot of things but not wheelchair accessible routes to places. The map we got wasn’t that helpful and confusing at times, leading us to go all the way one way, and having to then go back on the cobbles the length of the tower. The Crown Jewels area is very accessible but I found it hard to see to navigate my wheelchair as it was so dark in there and the staff member didn’t like me using a phone torch on the floor to see. There is a travellator by the crowns and I wasn’t sure if this was suitable for wheelchairs but couldn’t get anyones attention so just went in it, then found after there was a wheelchair lift and alternative walkway. I was lucky that it was free for my Mum and I to get in as she works somewhere with free access to certain places, but if I’d have had to pay I don’t think it would have been worth it as the disabled person has to pay nearly full price adult prices and is unable to access the majority of the venue. I think if you have mobility issues this should be reduced as you can only access the Crown Jewels, a little bit of the White tower and the shops. I feel I missed out on a lot. We were told that Yeoman / Beefeaters would be willing to help with any questions we had about places I couldn’t access, and staff did seem very disability confident which was nice. I would never have been able to visit when I was able to walk with a stick as the cobbles would have been a major trip hazard for me, but it was doable, all be it uncomfortable, in my wheelchair so I’d suggest going in a wheelchair if you have mobility issues.

We decided to visit the Tower of London on our visit to London. We are a family of two adults and four children. My husband has MS and our youngest son is undiagnosed ASD. I had looked on their website and found they have yellow lanyards for hidden disabilities. They responded to my emails quickly and answered any questions I had. We booked our tickets online and I was able to get a free carers ticket with proof of my husband's disability when we arrived. Both my husband and my son were given a yellow lanyard which meant we were able to skip the queues. There wasn't much of a queue to gain entry but the queue for the Crown Jewels was really long. I approached a member of staff who immediately spoke with a colleague and took us to the front of the queue. We were taken through a different entrance and then straight to the front of the queue. They were so helpful and professional,nothing was any trouble. We had a great time at the Tower of London,made so much easier by their approach to hidden disabilities. Fantastic!

Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. Each evening, between 5pm and 9pm, the moat of the Tower of London is illuminated with thousands of individual flames in an act of rememberance. The Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) light the first flame and then a team of volunteers light the rest of the flames, During the ceremony music is played, a new choral work, with words from War Poet Mary Borden’s Sonnets to a Soldier. The display ends at 9pm each evening. There are 2 ways to view the event. Firstly there are tickets which provide access to the moat. These tickets are now sold out. There are excelllent access arrangements for people doing this and deserve 5 stars. There is also free public viewing from Tower Hill and the Tower concourse, this is what I did on the Monday evening, and this is what I will comment about in my review. There appears to be no special arrangments for disabled people viewing from the free viewing points, as all people have to join the same queue. UPDATE 08/11/2019: I contacted the Tower of London to ask if they could improve the accessibility for people in the free viewing areas by allowing those who need it not to queue up. I would suggest asking a steward about accessibility if you are unable to stand in the queue. The next day they replied saying " Thank you for your kind words and for providing us with such detailed feedback of your experience at the Tower Remembers. I have forwarded your message on to the event organiser so they can review this process for the remaining nights and future events. " I hope this helps people who are visiting later this week. UPDATE 13/11/2018: Following on from contacting the Tower of London I received a 2nd email on 12/11/2018. This one was from their visitors' centre. Their reply was "We learnt much from the incredible public response to it, which included huge numbers of people coming to Tower Hill to see it. I am very sorry that you did not find the access area until later in your visit after you had queued. Stewards at the entrance to the queue barrier should have been looking for and telling people about the area. We had some stewards specifically dedicated to doing this but the sheer volume meant that we missed you. I can only apologise for this. I will certainly be feeding your experience into the review process for the project." I've been very pleased with the Tower of London's response to my comments as a disabled visitor.