Entries tagged with “tower of london” from Stupid London

The Tower of London has held a menagerie since the thirteenth century. It was a place where magnificent tigers, elephants and even polar bears cavorted for the pleasure of kings and queens. However, 800 years is a long time and the Beefeaters have not always managed to keep up such an impressive roster of animals. Here are the beasts that most disappointed the Royal crowds:

1. A parrot shouting 'Vive la France!'
2. A spider with six legs*
3. A moody little monkey
4. A fried egg in a nest
5. A pig's head on a pole**
6. A fairly hungry caterpillar
7. Richard Nixon
8. A goat chewing a Beefeater's sock
9. A shepherd's pie
10. Fred Bassett

*Historians now think this was probably just an ant
** After five years of bad reviews, the Beefeaters augmented this menagerie inmate by making it 'wink' every so often, via a simple contraption made out of fishing line. The new winking pig's head on a pole became one of the Tower of London's greatest attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Even Queen Victoria came to see it in 1859, although sadly she took offence at the pig's head 'getting fresh' and slapped it. The winking mechanism was irreprably destroyed.