| The Tower of London and Dover Castle were the | | | | apparent. Nevertheless, its sheer size-eighteen |
| strongest castles of medieval England. There are | | | | acres-cannot fail to impress and the majestic keep |
| those who would put Dover first and London second, | | | | and concentric curtains are visible from all directions. |
| but this is a matter of preference. Both castles retain | | | | The prime role of the Tower was to overawe the |
| their majesty in spite of extensive deterioration over | | | | defiant citizens of the capital. This may seem less |
| the years. It must be admitted that Dover makes | | | | strategic than Doverâs coastal defense, but |
| the most of its glorious position; whereas the Tower | | | | English kings generally had more to fear from their |
| derives no advantages from its site. | | | | own subjects than from external attack. One claim |
| Squatting on the north bank of the Thames, and | | | | can never be denied. That is the fact that, in terms |
| now overshadowed by the glass skyscrapers of the | | | | of historic intensity, the Tower has no equal. |
| City, the grandeur of the complex is not immediately | | | | |