Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe the different functions of the White Tower.

There are two key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before we start our lesson today.

A garrison is a group of troops stationed in a building to guard it, and function refers to what something is designed to do.

Our lesson on the function of the White Tower is separated into three learning phases, and the first part revolves around the White Tower's military functions.

Norman castles in England were primarily military buildings constructed to control the population and to protect their Norman lords.

William used motte-and-bailey castles to dominate English towns, protecting his scattered Norman garrisons and making it much harder for resistance and rebellion to gain momentum.

As William travelled across England between 1068 and 1069, castles were constructed as far apart as Exeter in the south and York in the north, with many in between.

This included London.

A motte-and-bailey castle was constructed on the site of the White Tower after William's coronation in December 1066.

It clearly served its purpose well enough for 10 years until William ordered to be rebuilt in stone, what became known as the White Tower.

The White Tower was designed to defend the garrison against attack.

To begin with, any attackers had to get through the castle enclosure, the bailey of the original castle, which was protected by ditches, the remains of Roman walls on two sides, and an earthwork topped by a wooden palisade, which was replaced by William II with stone walls in 1097.

So before we move on, let's do a brief learning check to make sure we've secured some key information.

I'd like you now to complete the sentences on the screen using the same word to complete each sentence.

Pause the video while you have a think and then press play when you're ready for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back and well done if you identified the missing word as castles and your sentences sound like this.

Norman castles in England were constructed to control the population and to protect their Norman lords.

As William travelled across England in 1068 to 1069, castles were constructed as far apart as Exeter and York, with many in between.

The White Tower was one of many castles designed to defend a garrison against attack.

The White Tower's own immensely thick stone walls would withstand any Viking or rebel English attack.

There were three times during his rule when William I feared a Danish attack was imminent.

The entrance to the tower when first constructed was on the first floor reached by a wooden staircase as it's today, which could be removed or burnt so any attackers would be unable to easily get in.

Each floor was divided into two by a thick spine wall with doorways from one great room to the other which defenders could protect.

A meter-wide passageway was built into the thick outer wall above the sunken roof which allowed archers and other defenders to move from one position to another without being fired on by a besieging enemy.

The tower also had small openings, arrow loops, for windows through which Norman archers could defend the castle while protected from enemy fire.

The White Tower was also designed to survive besiegement.

This was when the enemy would surround a castle and starve its defenders into surrendering by stopping any movement of food and water into the castle.

Siege warfare was the most effective way of attacking early mediaeval castles.

For example, Pevensey Castle was besieged by William II for six weeks in 1088, ending with Bishop Odo's surrender.

A well was dug in the basement of the White Tower to ensure the castle always had fresh water supplies.

The enormous basement later used for prisoners had storerooms filled with supplies, and the castle's location next to the River Thames meant it could be supplied by boat in the event of being surrounded on its other three sides.

So before moving on again, it's time for another brief learning check.

Which three of the below were design features to help defenders of the White Tower during a siege? Pause the video while you pick the three correct answers from the list and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back and well done if you said the correct answers were A, B, and C.

The White Tower had some clever design features to make it appear even more of a military threat.

It was built with fireplaces, an innovation in the 11th century, in a sloped style to allow smoke to be released easily, important for the White Tower's function as somewhere people could live comfortably instead of in rooms full of smoke.

But the fireplaces had another function.

The smoke from each fireplace was released through several different chimneys to convince outsiders that there were more soldiers inside than was actually the case.

Another clever feature was the impression Londoners would have from the tower's high walls, up to 27 1/2 metres high.

The design of these suggested the tower had at least three floors instead of the two floors of the original building.

The wooden roof was originally some way below the top of the tower's walls, itself a defensive feature that protected the roof from projectiles.

Next, I'd like you to attempt the following true or false question.

True or false, fireplaces in the White Tower served more than one function? Pause the video while you come to a decision on what you think is the correct answer and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back and well done if you said that the answer is true.

Now I'd like you to think about why that answer is true based upon what we've been learning about.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready to hear the justification.

Welcome back and well done if you said that fireplaces were sloped to allow smoke to be released easily so residents could live comfortably and smoke-free.

Smoke from each fireplace was also released through different chimneys to convince outsiders that more soldiers were inside than there really were.

Next, for our first written task, I'd like you to describe features of the White Tower which are evidence of its military functions.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then press play when you're done and are ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back, I asked you to describe features of the White Tower which are evident of its military functions.

It's worth mentioning at this point that everyone will have written something slightly different in their answer, but well done if you manage to include any of the following in yours.

The White Tower was designed to defend against attacks with immensely thick stone walls, a strategic first floor entrance with a wooden stairway that could be removed in the event of an attack, and a spine wall for internal defence.

Defenders could retreat behind the wall and stop attackers progressing further into the keep.

Archers were able to defend the tower from a special protected passageway above the roof.

Furthermore, the tower's windows were arrow loops, allowing archers to shoot out at attackers but making it hard for attackers to shoot into the tower.

The White Tower was also equipped to withstand sieges, a common mediaeval warfare tactic where attackers surrounded the castle to starve its defenders.

It had a well in the basement for fresh water, storerooms for supplies, and its proximity to the River Thames allowed resupply by boats if necessary.

The tower's design included innovative features to enhance its military threat, such as interconnected chimneys to create the illusion of a larger garrison, and high walls suggesting more floors than actually existed.

The wooden roof was also set below the top of the walls for added protection against projectiles.

Really well done there, and with that task done we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson today where we'll be learning about the White Tower's administrative functions.

William did not want to rule through fear and intimidation alone.

One of his first acts as king was to issue the Charter of 1067, which confirmed that all Londoners, whether French or English, that is to say whether they were Normans or Anglo-Saxons, would be safe under his protection and would have all the same legal rights as they had had under the Saxon King Edward the Confessor.

London was a great trading centre and vital to England's wealth, and the Normans did not want to do anything to disrupt the flow of money now that they were in charge.

Across Norman England, the protection provided by castles meant that gradually economic growth happened around them.

There was the opportunity for locals to supply the needs of the castle's garrison and its royal residents when they were staying at the tower, and perhaps most importantly for the White Tower, castles were centres of government administration.

So let's try another true or false question now.

True or false, protection provided by castles meant that gradually economic growth happened around them.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer and then press play when you're ready for that answer to be revealed.

Welcome back and well done if you identified the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to pause the video again and consider why this statement is true, and then press play to resume our lesson.

Hello again and well done if you were correctly able to recall that locals supplied the needs of the castle's garrison and its royal residents when they were staying at the tower.

The White Tower's riverside location meant that trade up and down the river came under its control.

Administrators in the tower could ensure that taxes were paid on this trade, bringing in lots of money.

The White Tower is unusually large and its width meant each floor could be divided into two large rooms. The function of the larger of the two rooms on the first floor, which is the same as the entrance floor, is not known for sure, but it's likely that it was used for government functions where the king and his court could meet and eat together.

This hall had fireplaces and three garderobes, the Norman word for toilets, built into the north wall.

The second and slightly smaller chamber on the first floor was probably where the castellan or keeper of the castle lived.

The castellan was responsible for the tower's garrison, for upkeep of its defences, and for the administration of the area under the tower's control.

Now please complete the sentences on the screen using the same word in each sentence.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Hello again and well done if you identified the missing word as trade so that your sentences now read like this.

The White Tower's riverside location meant that trade up and down the river came under its control, and administrators in the tower could ensure that taxes were paid on this trade, bringing in lots of money.

And finally, the second floor of the hall, which also had fireplaces and garderobes, would've been used for royal ceremonies and for entertaining important visitors on some of the occasions when the king was in London.

Which brings us onto the second of our written tasks today, and I would like you, using your learning so far, to explain the White Tower's administrative functions.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then press play for some feedback once again in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back, I asked you to explain the White Tower's administrative functions.

Once again, everyone's answer will look slightly different, but well done if your answer looked anything like this.

One of the White Tower's primary administrative roles was to oversee and ensure the collection of taxes from trade along the river, leveraging its strategic riverside location to control and benefit from the flow of goods.

Additionally, the tower's extensive and well-equipped halls facilitated important government functions and meetings.

The castellan, residing within the tower, likely in the smaller room on the first floor, managed the garrison, maintained defences, and administered the surrounding area.

This setup not only protected and controlled trade, but also supported economic growth by providing stability and creating opportunities for local suppliers.

Well done once again and with that learning phase complete we can move on to the final part of the lesson today where we'll be examining the White Tower as a royal residence.

As well as its military and administrative functions, the White Tower was also built to be a royal residence.

The second floor is likely to have been the king's royal chambers with his private chapel, St.

John's Chapel, next to them.

However, it seems likely that the White Tower did not end up being used as a royal residence very often.

I'd like you to have a go at this multiple choice question now.

What was the second floor of the White Tower mostly used for? A, servants' quarters where they spent their leisure time.

B, a basement full of food stores in case of a siege.

Or C, the king's chamber and the Chapel of St.

John.

Pause the video while you choose your answer and then just press play to check the accuracy of your selection.

Welcome back and well done if you selected C, the king's chamber and the Chapel of St.

John were the key features of the second floor of the White Tower.

Early mediaeval kings travelled from one royal palace to another, taking their small administrative staff with them, and the White Tower was probably not somewhere where William I or his successors spent a great deal of time.

There were no kitchens inside the tower.

For example, there were no kitchens inside the tower or rooms for servants.

William II certainly spent more time at the Palace at Westminster, a much more comfortable royal residence.

It is likely, therefore, that the White Tower's day-to-day function was for government administration rather than as a royal palace, while remaining a stronghold where the king and his family could move to in the event of any emergency.

Let's have a go now at a final multiple choice question.

What were the main two functions of the White Tower during the Norman period? A, a centre for government administration.

B, a stronghold that could control and protect London.

Or C, a palace that the king used regularly.

As ever, pause the video while you pick the two answers out of the three on the screen that you believe to be correct, and then press play when you're ready for the correct answers to be revealed.

Welcome back and well done if you said the right answers were A and B.

For our final written task today, I'd like you to consider the following statement.

"The main function of the White Tower during the Norman period was that it was a centre for government administration." I'd like you to write one paragraph to agree with this view and one paragraph to disagree with this view.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then press play when you're ready for two model paragraphs.

Welcome back and well done if your paragraphs sound anything like this.

The White Tower was a key centre for government administration during the Norman period.

Its riverside location allowed the Normans to control and tax trade on the river, generating significant income.

The castellan, who managed the garrison of the castle and oversaw local administration, probably lived on the first floor of the tower, emphasising the tower's administrative role.

The second floor also hosted royal ceremonies and important visitors, further highlighting its function as a governmental hub, albeit on the rare occasion that the king was in London.

However, the White Tower's main function during the Norman period was to protect the Normans from attacks, either from invasion or from London's population.

This can be shown by the tower's thick stone walls, elevated entrance and internal passageways for archers.

All these examples made the tower a strong military fortress.

It was also designed to withstand sieges with features like an internal well and storage for supplies.

Together with these defensive features, it was also built to dominate London's skyline in order to control the local population and suppress thoughts of rebellion.

Really well done there.

With that task complete, we've arrived at the end of our lesson today, and all that's left for us to do is summarise the key learning points, and it would be great if you could remember these going forward.

Firstly, the castles of Norman England were primarily military buildings that provided a strongly defence base for a garrison of troops.

Secondly, castles such as the White Tower also had other functions.

They were built to make an impression on the local population, to control local trade, and also to provide security for locals, which helped economic growth around them.

And lastly, some castles were also built to be royal residences for the king and his court.

The White Tower was a royal residence.

However, it is unlikely William spent much time there.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been an absolute pleasure to guide you through our learning resources on the function of the White Tower, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future where we'll be learning all about the White Tower's residents.