Middle Tower and the entrance 4 min read
A polar bear in the Thames
For six hundred years the entrance to the Tower was guarded by lions, and in the 1250s a white bear from Norway was let out on a rope to fish in the river.
Entrance
Middle Tower and the entrance
Where every visit begins: the outer gatehouse on the site of the medieval Lion Tower, crossed by a causeway over the dry moat.
- Time here
- 5–15 min (our estimate)
- Access
- Step-free · No stairs
- Where
- Entrance · outdoors
What you can see
- The dry moat, once a stinking tidal ditch, now grass
- Kendra Haste's galvanised-wire lions on the site of the old Lion Tower menagerie
- The arms of George I over the arch (the tower was refaced in the 1710s)
Practical considerations
- Step-free
- No stairs
- Queues at peak times
- Ticket scanning and bag checks happen here; allow 10–30 minutes at busy times
- No re-entry once you leave the Tower
Checked 10 Sept 2026
Access details from Historic Royal Palaces' accessibility page. Time estimates are ours unless marked official.
Stories at this place
Book
Tickets that suit a visit built around Middle Tower and the entrance
- Viator Guided tour
Small-group guided tour with early entry and a private Beefeater audience
First-time visitors who want a guide for the whole morning and the story behind what they are looking at
From €117 per adult, EUR · seen 10 Sept 2026
Who needs it, who doesn't, and the small print - Official Admission
Standard admission (official)
Almost everyone: first visits, families, anyone happy to explore independently
From £37.00 adult · seen 10 Sept 2026
Who needs it, who doesn't, and the small print
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