Tower Defences – Reading Walls and Towers

A guide to the Tower’s defensive layers: from ditch to parapet, and how forms adapted to new warfare.

11/27/2025

12 min read

Curtain walls and towers of the Tower of London

Defensive Grammar

Curtain walls distribute load and line-of-sight control.
Towers project to improve flanking fire.

Evolution

Arrow loops to gunports: a shift in weapons logic.

Image Highlights

Walls 1 Walls 2 Tower cluster

Bottom Line

Fortification is a moving target—the Tower records centuries of responses.

About the Author

Fortification Analyst

I built this to help you enjoy the Tower of London smartly—clear pacing, better timing, and context that makes each chapel, crown, and stone corridor resonate.