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Tower of London

Beauchamp Tower

Included with Tower of London tickets

Timings

RECOMMENDED DURATION

3 hours

Beauchamp Tower at the Tower of London with historic stone walls and blue sky.

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Quick overview

  • Access: Included in all Tower of London tickets
  • Separate ticket: Not required
  • When you’ll see it: Midway on most self-guided Tower routes
  • Visit duration: 10–20 mins self-guided/15–25 mins with guide
  • Best time: First 90 minutes after opening on a weekday, when the rooms are quieter, and the carvings are easier to read
  • Restrictions: Handheld photography is generally allowed. No tripods, selfie sticks, food, or drink
Tower of London with historic stone walls and turrets, United Kingdom.

Beauchamp Tower is included with all Tower of London tickets. No separate ticket is needed. It sits inside the inner ward and is usually reached midway through a self-guided visit, though you can choose when to enter once you’re inside the fortress. Book a guided tour or an early-entry Tower ticket if you want the prisoner graffiti explained clearly rather than simply passing by.

How to best experience the Beauchamp Tower

Best time to visit

Go in the first 90 minutes after opening, or late afternoon on a weekday. The room is quieter then, so you can actually read the wall carvings instead of waiting for space at the walls. Avoid late morning if you want time to stop and look closely.

How long to spend

Allow 10–20 minutes on your own, or 15–25 minutes with a guide. That gives you enough time to read several inscriptions and understand who carved them. If you rush through in 5 minutes, it feels like just another stone chamber.

Where it fits in your itinerary

Most visitors reach Beauchamp Tower after the Crown Jewels or White Tower, once they’re already 45–90 minutes into the complex. Use it as a slower stop between bigger highlights. Don’t leave it until the last few minutes of your visit.

Crowd patterns

Beauchamp Tower rarely has a long outdoor queue, but it fills in bursts when guided groups pass through nearby towers. Midday is the tightest time for space and photos. If the doorway looks crowded, circle back 15–20 minutes later.

What to prioritize if time is short

Start with the carved names, dates, and emblems on the wall surfaces, especially the Tudor-era prisoner inscriptions. Then look at the window recesses and the chamber itself. Read two or three carvings carefully instead of skimming every stone block.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most visitors look out of the windows first and miss that the walls are the real exhibit. Scan the room at eye level as soon as you enter. Also, don’t treat it as a pass-through stop, because the value here is detail, not scale.

Best tickets to experience the Beauchamp Tower

Ticket typeWhy choose it

Standard entry

Best if you want to explore freely and linger over the graffiti between bigger Tower highlights.

Guided tour

Best if you want the Tudor prisoner stories explained instead of reading carved names without context.

Early access or Beefeater meet & greet

Reach Beauchamp Tower before the site gets busier and still have energy for slow looking.

Why it’s worth seeing

Beauchamp Tower is the Tower of London’s most direct encounter with prisoners’ own voices, because the walls themselves are the archive. Most visitors expect another defensive tower and only realise inside that many inscriptions were cut by men imprisoned for faith, succession, or politics. The room is smaller and quieter than the White Tower, so what matters here is not scale but close looking. Start with these three details.

The carved walls: start at eye level

As soon as you enter, scan the pale stone blocks at eye level on both side walls. The names, dates, crosses, and emblems are the main exhibits here. If you look only toward the windows, you miss the reason this tower matters.

Tudor prisoner inscriptions

Move slowly along the inner wall surfaces rather than standing in the doorway. Some of the best-known carvings linked to prisoners such as Thomas Abell and the Dudley circle sit directly on the chamber stones. Read the lettering and symbols, not just the labels.

The window recesses

Step into one of the deep window embrasures and look back across the room. The thickness of the wall and the limited light explain confinement better than any panel. This is also one of the clearest angles for photographing the chamber without blocking others.

Historical and cultural significance

Beauchamp Tower matters because high-status prisoners left their own record here, cut directly into stone during 16th-century imprisonment. Built as part of the Tower’s inner defences, it later became a state prison for men caught in Tudor religious and dynastic conflict, including Thomas Abell, the Dudleys, and Philip Howard. Today, it survives as one of the clearest places in the Tower where you encounter prisoners’ voices, not just their legend.

👉 Explore the full history of the Tower of London

Notable figures

Thomas Abell | Chaplain and prisoner

Imprisoned for defending Catherine of Aragon’s marriage; his name survives in the carved stone.

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Robert Dudley | Noble prisoner

Held here after the 1553 succession crisis, before becoming Elizabeth I’s longtime favourite.

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Guildford Dudley | Noble prisoner

One of the Dudley brothers linked to the Lady Jane Grey crisis and Tudor power struggles.

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Philip Howard | Earl of Arundel

Catholic nobleman imprisoned under Elizabeth I; his presence connects the tower to religious conflict.

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Know before you go

  • Access hours: Beauchamp Tower follows Tower of London opening hours.
  • Typical opening: The Tower usually opens at 9am Tue–Sat and 10am Sun–Mon.
  • Typical closing: Closing is usually 4:30pm or 5:30pm, depending on the season.
  • Entry window: You can arrive within 30 minutes of your booked Tower time slot.

​Detailed timings

Address: Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB

  • Nearest metro: Tower Hill station, about a 3-minute walk to the main entrance
  • Entry point: Enter through the main Tower of London visitor entrance; Beauchamp Tower has no separate access
  • Inside the route: Once inside the fortress, head into the inner ward; most visitors reach it midway through the visit
  • Nearby pairing: Tower Bridge is about a 5–10 minute walk away if you’re combining both sights

​Get directions

  • Site access: The wider Tower of London is only partially wheelchair and stroller accessible.
  • Beauchamp Tower interior: It is not step-free and involves stairs, narrow passages, and uneven historic surfaces.
  • Companion entry: Complimentary adult carer tickets are available at the Ticket Office with supporting documents.
  • Assistance animals: Guide dogs are welcome at the venue.
  • Lighting: Interiors can be dim, so allow extra time to read wall carvings safely.

​Plan your visit

  • Photography: Handheld photography is generally allowed in most Tower areas.
  • Not allowed: Tripods, selfie sticks, and other bulky photographic or recording equipment are not permitted.
  • Food and drink: Smoking, eating, and drinking are not allowed inside the buildings.
  • Bags: Large bags and suitcases are not allowed on the experience.
  • Re-entry: Your Tower ticket is valid for one entry only.

​Plan your visit

  • Stairs: Access involves climbing historic staircases.
  • Space: Doorways and chambers can feel tight when groups are inside.
  • Standing time: Expect to stand for 10–20 minutes if you want time to read the carvings properly.
  • Difficulty: Moderate; manageable for most visitors, but not ideal for limited mobility.
  • Alternative: If stairs are an issue, view the tower exterior and prioritise step-free sections elsewhere in the fortress.

​Plan your visit

Frequently asked questions about the Beauchamp Tower

Yes. Entry to Beauchamp Tower is included with every valid Tower of London ticket. No separate ticket exists.

More reads

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Tower of London history, prisoners, and royal stories

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