The English Tower

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The English Tower, also known as St. Catherine's Tower and Lion Tower, stands at the south-west corner of the castle looking out over the sea. Its construction was financed by contributions solicited in England, at least some of which were made in response to a campaign authorized by the Pope who issued indulgences to the contributors. A copy of one such Grant of Indulgence issued in 1414 to Sir William FitzHugh and his wife Dame Margery is preserved in the Museum of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, London. The tower is regarded as one of the most important well-preserved historical monuments built by the English outside England.
The three-storied tower is built on solid bedrock. Its lowest floor originally held dungeons which are now used for storage, but of the greatest interest to the visitor is the hall reached through the northern entrance which is surmounted with the Royal Arms of King Henry IV of England, the arms of six other male members of the Plantagenet Royal Family and the coats-of-arms of noble English families, the chief contributors to the building fund. Among these are such distinguished names as Westmoreland, Percy, Stafford, DeVere and others known in English history.

Beyond this entrance is the refectory beautifully restored after the depredations of time and the destruction that the tower suffered from French bombardment during the First World War. The medieval aura of this chamber is enhanced by hanging banners, arms and armor and other ornaments that illustrate the period. Included also are banners used by land and naval forces of the Ottoman Turks to whom the castle was surrendered in 1523, showing the evolution of the Turkish flag to the present. This hall, redolent of the romance of the Middle Ages, is used on special occasions for banquets at which the guests are served by castle staff dressed in medieval garb while listening to the strains of period music. A great banner with the arms of Sir Thomas Docwra, the English knight who was the Captain of the Castle in 1498-1499, forms an impressive background and helps to create the proper ambience for this living reminder of the past.

Other Departments:   Carian Pricess Hall line Amphoras Exhibition line Glasswreck Hall
Commandant's Tower line Galley Slaves line German Tower line Secret Museum line English Tower
Uluburun Shipwreck Exhibition
line Tektas Shipwreck line Turkish Bath line Dungeon

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