Not the Yeoman Warders [beefeaters], but the ravens, who have resided here for more than three centuries.

No one is quite sure how a contingent of ravens came to be quartered here. According to one version of the story the first were a gift from the antiquarian Earl of Dunraven (a joke, presumably); another theory suggests that they’re much more recent, and that the first were Yeoman Warders’ pets in the Victorian era. But one thing is for sure: they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Or at least, we’d better hope not…

Legend and superstition

For some centuries there has been a legend surrounding these celebrated birds. It’s said that when the ravens leave the Tower, the Tower will crumble – and the kingdom will crumble with it. To ensure that the ravens stay just where they are (you can’t be too careful with these old legends, you know), all of today’s crop have their wings clipped. Now some would call that cheating…

The legend is believed to date back to the reign of Charles II; it’s said that it was he who decreed that there should always be six ravens resident at the Tower (today there are eight on permanent public display – the required six and two "spares"). And since then they’ve been a familiar sight for public visitors; lately only the occasional moments of anxiety and quarantine for bird flu have prevented visitors from finding them hopping around the green beside the White Tower.

The Raven Master

The keeping of the ravens is in the hands of the Raven Master, a Yeoman Warden whose tasks include feeding them their raw meat and occasional egg or rabbit, keeping their wings clipped and giving them regular health checks. The current incumbent, Derrick Coyle, is reputedly delighted with the job; and the birds are well tended and happy and seem to like him too. One of them, Troy, even does a good impression of him, apparently…