Tickets Alert: The Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London

Want to spend an evening inside the Tower of London watching an ancient ceremony?

If yes, then tickets to attend and witness the centuries old private tradition of locking up the Tower of London will be released this coming Friday.

The legend is that a former monarch wandered over one evening, and aghast that he was able to enter the Tower at night ordered a formal locking-up process to be enacted.

(c) The Household Division

Every night since then, there has been a sort of Changing of the Guard type ceremony in the Tower to secure the fortress, but each evening since Victorian times, a small group of bystanders have been allowed inside to watch as well.

There is an awfully long waiting list, and tickets tend to be released in batches a couple of times a year — one such release being this Friday, to attend between May 2020 to October 2020.

The Ceremony of the Keys takes place long after the fortress has kicked out the last of the tourists, and takes place entirely within the Tower walls. Also, it’s rarely been seen as photography is strictly forbidden — which helps to keep it special as well.

You will be bystanders to a formal ceremony to lock up the tower, you will stand in silence, save when the Yeoman Warder instructs, and you will be told to cry out God Save the Queen!

Then you will squeeze out through a small medieval door to stand back out in the modern city and with a story to delight everyone over dinner. So even if you’re not sure about it, book tickets, because frankly, if you don’t, then later decide you want to, the waiting list could be years long.

Tickets will be available on Friday from here.

You can request up to six tickets, so find some friends and have an evening of it. Tickets are free, however, there is a £1 fee to cover the booking administration costs.

(c) ianVisits