In London, few places hold as much weight in the city’s soul as the Tower of London. Standing on the north bank of the Thames, just steps from Tower Bridge and the modern glass towers of the City, this fortress has watched over the capital for nearly a thousand years. But long before it became a tourist hotspot with Crown Jewels behind glass, the Tower was home to something far stranger: a living, breathing royal menagerie. Lions, tigers, bears, even an elephant - all once paced behind iron bars in the heart of London, under the watchful eyes of kings and queens.
When the Tower Was a Zoo
The royal menagerie began in the 1200s, when King Henry III received a trio of leopards - likely lions, as the term was used loosely then - as a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor. By 1252, records show a white bear from Norway, kept on a long chain so it could fish in the Thames. That bear, reportedly fed fish caught fresh from the river, became a London legend. Locals would gather near the Tower’s walls to watch it swim, a spectacle as common as watching pigeons in Trafalgar Square today.
By the 1500s, the collection had grown. A polar bear was added, and so was a camel, which reportedly walked from the Tower to the nearby St. Katharine Docks to be fed. Tigers, wolves, and a rhinoceros followed. The rhino, brought from India in 1515, was the first of its kind seen in Europe in centuries. Crowds flocked to see it, some paying a penny just to glimpse the creature through the bars. It wasn’t just a curiosity - it was a political statement. Kings used exotic animals to show off their power, their reach, their control over distant lands.
Life Behind the Bars
The animals weren’t kept in modern enclosures. They lived in cramped stone cells beneath the Lion Tower, near what’s now the main entrance. Feeding them was expensive. Records from the royal accounts show payments to keepers, butchers, and even a fishmonger who supplied salmon and eels for the bears. In winter, the lions shivered. There was no heating. In summer, flies swarmed. One keeper, a man named John Gwynn, was paid 12 pence a week in 1660 - about £2.50 today - to clean the cages and feed the beasts. He also had to fend off visitors who threw stones or tried to poke the animals with sticks.
By the 1700s, the menagerie was a grim spectacle. A visitor in 1780 wrote that the lions looked "half-dead with hunger and neglect." The bears were so emaciated they could barely stand. The public began to protest. Newspapers like The Times called the conditions "a disgrace to a civilised nation." The Tower’s menagerie was no longer a symbol of royal glory - it was a symbol of cruelty.
The End of the Beasts
The final blow came in 1831. After a lion killed a keeper, public outrage peaked. The Duke of Wellington, then Master of the Ordnance, ordered the collection moved. Most animals were transferred to the newly opened London Zoo in Regent’s Park - a place designed for study, not spectacle. The last lion left the Tower in 1835. The Lion Tower was torn down in 1837. Today, all that remains is a small plaque near the entrance, a quiet reminder of what once roared here.
But the memory lingers. On quiet mornings, when the fog rolls in off the Thames and the crowds haven’t yet arrived, you can still feel it - the echo of growls, the weight of chains, the silence where animals once lived. Walk past the Bloody Tower, past the Wakefield Tower, and look down at the ground near the old Lion Tower site. That’s where the bears once paced. That’s where the elephant stood, its feet sinking into the damp earth.
What’s Left of the Menagerie
Today, the Tower of London doesn’t house living beasts - but it still keeps their ghosts. The Royal Armouries displays a carved wooden lion from the 1500s, its mane worn smooth by centuries of hands. A 17th-century painting of the polar bear fishing in the Thames hangs in the Waterloo Barracks. And if you visit during the winter months, you might catch a reenactment: costumed guides telling stories of the menagerie, complete with the sound of a lion’s roar echoing through the courtyard.
Even the ravens - now the Tower’s most famous residents - were once part of this legacy. The first ravens were kept as messengers, but over time, they became symbols of protection. Legend says if the ravens ever leave, the kingdom will fall. That’s why, to this day, six ravens are kept at the Tower, fed daily by the Yeoman Warders. Their wingspan is wide, their caws sharp. They perch on the battlements, watching the same river that once fed the polar bear. In London, history doesn’t disappear - it just changes its coat.
Visiting the Tower Today
If you’re in London and want to walk where lions once roared, go early. The Tower opens at 9 a.m., and the morning light hits the White Tower just right. Avoid the weekend crowds - come on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when the queues are shorter and the stone still holds the chill of the night. Buy your ticket online through Historic Royal Palaces - it’s £32.50 for adults, but if you have a London Pass or an Oyster card with a National Rail extension, you might get a discount.
Don’t miss the Crown Jewels - they’re the main draw, but don’t rush. Stand still for a moment. Look at the Imperial State Crown. Think about the menagerie. Think about the bear that swam in the Thames, the rhino that stunned a city, the lions that died in silence. The jewels are dazzling. But the stories? They’re heavier.
After you leave, walk down to Tower Bridge. Look at the water. Imagine a polar bear, chained and hungry, pulling fish from the current. That’s London. A city built on power, on spectacle, on the quiet, forgotten lives of creatures that once lived here - and the people who watched them.
Local Legends and Forgotten Tales
Some say the ghost of the polar bear still walks near the riverbank. Others claim the lion’s roar can be heard on foggy nights near the Tower’s moat. These aren’t just stories - they’re how London remembers. The city doesn’t forget its beasts. It turns them into myth.
There’s a pub just across the river, The Dog & Duck in Bermondsey, that still serves a drink called "The Bear’s Brew" - a dark stout brewed with roasted barley and a hint of smoke. Locals say it’s the closest thing you can taste to what the bears ate. You won’t find it in tourist guides. But ask a Yeoman Warder after their shift, and they’ll point you there.
And if you’re ever in the East End, stop by the Museum of London Docklands. There’s a small exhibit on the Tower’s menagerie, with a replica of the polar bear’s chain - the same one that once dragged through the mud near the old docks. It’s not flashy. But it’s real. And in London, that’s what matters.
Why This Matters Now
The Tower’s menagerie isn’t just a relic. It’s a mirror. London has always been a city that collects things - people, ideas, animals, empires. We’ve moved from keeping lions in cages to keeping people in detention centers. We’ve replaced animal shows with VR experiences. But the impulse is the same: to control the wild, to display the exotic, to prove we’re on top.
When you stand at the Tower today, you’re not just looking at a castle. You’re standing where power once lived - and where it still whispers.
Were there really elephants at the Tower of London?
Yes. In 1255, King Henry III received an elephant as a gift from King Louis IX of France. It was the first elephant seen in England in over a thousand years. The elephant lived in a specially built enclosure near the Lion Tower and was fed a diet of hay, bread, and wine. It died just three years later, likely from pneumonia after a harsh winter. Its bones were later displayed in the Tower’s collection until they were lost in the 17th century.
Why did the royal menagerie close?
The menagerie closed in 1835 after years of public criticism over animal cruelty. A lion killed a keeper in 1831, sparking outrage. Newspapers and reformers called the conditions inhumane. The Duke of Wellington ordered the animals moved to the newly opened London Zoo in Regent’s Park, which was designed for scientific study, not public entertainment. The Lion Tower was demolished two years later.
Can you still see any of the original animals from the menagerie?
No living animals remain, but you can see artifacts. The Royal Armouries has a 16th-century wooden lion carving, and the Tower displays a 1700s painting of the polar bear fishing in the Thames. The Museum of London Docklands has a replica of the bear’s chain. The ravens at the Tower today are descendants of the original birds kept as symbols - not as exotic pets.
Is the Tower of London worth visiting for history lovers?
Absolutely. While the Crown Jewels draw the crowds, the Tower’s true depth lies in its layered past: royal executions, wartime prisons, and the forgotten menagerie. For those who dig deeper, the site offers a rare glimpse into how power, spectacle, and cruelty shaped London. Combine your visit with a walk along the Thames Path to Tower Bridge - you’ll see the river that once fed the polar bear, and understand why this place still haunts the city.
What’s the best time to visit the Tower of London to avoid crowds?
Go on a weekday morning, ideally Tuesday or Wednesday, right when the gates open at 9 a.m. Weekends and school holidays are packed. The Crown Jewels area gets busy by 11 a.m., so start with the ravens, then the White Tower, then the menagerie plaque before heading to the jewels. Skip the guided tours if you want quiet - they’re loud and slow. Walk alone, listen, and imagine the roar that used to echo here.