For many centuries , the historic Tower of London , on the due north banking concern of the River Thames , has been guarded past times ravens. These winged creatures have the virtually majestic treatment. They are attended to past times servants , fed alongside core regularly purchased from the nearby Smithfield Market , together with their wellness is carefully monitored. But they are never allowed to teach out the grounds of the Tower , because the belief goes that should the ravens teach out , the Crown together with the Tower volition fall.
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Wild ravens have got lived inside the Tower for centuries. According to folklore , the ravens were kickoff attracted at that topographic point past times the odor of the corpses of the many enemies of the Crown executed there. When Lady Jane Grey was executed inwards 1554 , the ravens of the tower were said to have got pecked the eyes out of her severed head.
The practise of keeping the birds captive to protect the crown goes dorsum , allegedly , to the fourth dimension of King Charles II , who reigned from 1660 to 85. Legend has it that the majestic astronomer , John Flamsteed , complained to the King that the birds were interfering alongside his observations prompting the King to guild the birds to live on killed , solely to live on told that if the ravens left the Tower , the White Tower would autumn together with a groovy disaster befall the Kingdom. The King together with then changed his heed together with decreed that at to the lowest degree 6 ravens should live on kept at the Tower at all times to foreclose disaster.
However , according to historian Geoff Parnell , captive ravens at the Tower dates no to a greater extent than than the 1800s , peradventure introduced to the Tower equally pets of the staff.
Whatever live on the origin , at the Tower , they accept the legend real seriously. Seven ravens are kept at the tower at all times—the required 6 , addition an extra i for backup.
Except their clipped wings , which makes the ravens unable to wing away , the birds have got a blessed existence. They alive inwards a majestic palace , are waited on past times servants , together with are sought subsequently together with viewed past times the populace , only similar members of the majestic family. They are fed fresh fruit , cheese , boiled egg together with fresh core , equally good equally vitamins together with other supplements.
While virtually of the birds present skillful take , sometimes a raven mightiness bear inappropriately or present "conduct unbecoming Tower residents” , together with live on removed from service , equally it happened alongside Raven George who attacked together with destroyed TV aerials at the Tower , together with hence lost his appointment to the Crown. Another raven named Grog , managed to escape the Tower together with took upwardly residence inwards a local pub subsequently 21 years of service to the Crown.
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The novel raven enclosure at the Tower of London. Photo credit: Llowarch Llowarch Architects
Photo credit: Llowarch Llowarch Architects
Sources: Wikipedia / Historic UK