Our visitors had a bird’s eye view of preparations for the world premiere of the fifth season of Games of Thrones this week. This view from the Sky Garden at the top of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ in London shows blue tents being assembled in the grassy moat of The Tower of London. Ravens are used by Game of Thrones characters to carry messages across the fictional land of Westeros, and no doubt the Tower’s famous Ravens will be getting ready to unnerve the cast of the series as they walk the red carpet before Wednesday’s screening.
The event will mark the first time a Game of Thrones world premiere has taken place in Europe. The atmospheric and forbidding Tower of London is a particularly appropriate venue since the books on which Game of Thrones books is based were inspired by events from English history including the Wars of the Roses during the 15th Century which ended in 1485 when Henry Tudor, father of the future King Henry VIII, seized the throne of England from King Richard III.
The Tower, now home to the Crown jewels and a firm favourite with visitors to London, was home to several dramatic events during the Wars of the Roses, most notably the disappearance and alleged murder of the two young ‘Princes in the Tower’ with popular accounts and Tudor propaganda blaming their uncle the future King Richard III.
The remains of Richard III, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, were uncovered by archaeologists under a car park in the City of Leicester, and he will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral later this month.
Filed under: Blue Badge Tourist Guides, London Tagged: Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones London Premiere, Game of THrones Series 5 Premiere, London South East Tour Guides, Richard III Reburial, The View from the Walkie Talkie, Tower of London, Tower of London Games of Thrones
