The fall of the Tower of London

Skyscrapers are threatening to destroy what is an integral part of London: the iconic and historic emblem of the Tower of London.

When the Tower was first built in the 11th century, the 90 foot stone tower dominated the skyline, expressing the power and might of British Royal authority. Potential rebels and invaders quailed beneath the shadow of its walls.

Now it is the Towers turn to hide in the shadows. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the Tower is dominated by the sheer force of modernity. As time rolls on, it is relegated to a decreasing patch of land and importance. What once defined the London skyline is now being lost completely.

The fate of the Tower is currently under consideration by the UNESCO World Hertiage Committee who is meeting on Saturday in New York. So far officials from the world’s most prominent cultural body warn that further development in the city could undermine the Towers profile even more.

The charity which maintains the Tower, the Historic Royal Palaces, is particularly concerned about the construction of Britain’s tallest skyscraper, scheduled to be complete in 2011. But there are seven other proposed skyscrapers that also threaten the visual integrity of the Tower.

Some argue that skyscrapers only enhance the Tower. That’s the opinion of Alex Bux, senior advisor the London’s mayor. “In a way (the skyscrapers) add symbolically to what the buildings were about,” he said. “The tower was always a fortress on the edge of London the capital city and was always in tension with London as the capital city.”

Others, like John Barnes, the Conservation and Learning Director for the Historic Royal Palaces, argue that city buildings visible from within the tower distract from the sense of solitude one feels in the inner courtyard at present.

One tourist visiting the Tower merely shrugged and pointed out that no matter what happened with the city, people would always visit the Tower. “People want to still come and see it,” he said, “even if they have to go through a maze of buildings to get there.”