Traitors' Gate
the gate prisoners prayed they'd never see
The grim river watergate of the Tower of London, through which condemned prisoners were brought by boat, viewable for free from the Thames Path.
Free to visit · Tower Hill · Tower Hill · EC3N 4AB
Opening: Viewable from the riverside any time
You do not need to pay to enter the Tower of London to see one of its most chilling features. Traitors' Gate is the great arched watergate on the river frontage, through which prisoners accused of treason were rowed in secret from Westminster, passing under London Bridge with its display of severed heads on the way.
Anne Boleyn, Thomas More and the young Princess Elizabeth all entered the Tower this way, many never to leave. From the Thames Path you can look across at the gate for free, the dark water still lapping at the steps where so many walked to their fate, a genuinely sobering free view.
Getting there: On the river frontage of the Tower of London, seen from the Thames Path near Tower Hill.
Best time to go: Daytime, on a walk along the Thames Path by the Tower.
Insider tip: View it for free from the riverside walk between Tower Bridge and the Tower, no entry ticket needed. Come at higher tide to see the water against the gate as the prisoners would have arrived.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide