TOWER OF LONDON TOUR - London 2015 - page 468

Gaze out at the bridge, the river, City Hall (the egg-shaped glass building across the
river—see here ) , The Shard (London's bold new exclamation point—see here ) , and life-
filled London.
• Between the White Tower and the Bloody Tower are cages housing the...
Ravens
According to goofy tradition, the Tower and the British throne are only safe as long as
ravens are present here. Their wings are clipped so they'll stay, and eight (the traditional
six, plus two spares) are kept in the cage. World War II bombing raids reduced the popu-
lation to one. Some years ago, with their clipped wings, the birds had trouble mating, so
a slide was built to help them get a bit of lift to mate. Happily, that worked, and a baby
raven was born. A children's TV show sponsored a nationwide contest to come up with a
name. The winner: “Ronald Raven.” As you leave through the riverside exit, look into the
moat on the right for the tiny raven graveyard. There lie Cedric (2003), Gundolf (2005),
and Hardey (2006). RIP.