Meet The Ravens

There are seven ravens at the Tower today
( the required six plus one spare!)
Their names are Hardey, Thor, Odin, Gwyllum,
Cedric, Hugine and Munin. Their lodgings are to
be found next to the Wakefield Tower.

The ravens consume 6oz. of raw meat and bird
formula biscuits soaked in blood each day. They
are very partial to an egg each once a week plus
the occasional rabbit which is given to them whole
as the fur is good for them!  They also enjoy scraps
from the mess kitchen at the Tower -
they particularly like fried bread!

To prevent the birds flying away one of their wings
is clipped by the Raven Master. This does not hurt
the raven nor does it harm them in any way. By
unbalancing their flight it ensures that they don't
stray too far from the Tower.

Escape from the Tower!

However despite the wing clipping, there have been
occasional escapes. Grog was last seen outside an
East End pub called the 'Rose and Punchbowl' in
1981. Like Hardey he had been at the Tower for 21
years but unlike Hardey, Grog obviously felt he
needed a change of scene!

Bad Behaviour

Occasionally ravens have to be dismissed for bad
behaviour. This happened to George who received
his marching orders in 1986 after he developed an
unhealthy taste for TV aerials:

"On Saturday 13th September 1986, Raven George,
enlisted 1975, was posted to the Welsh Mountain
Zoo. Conduct unsatisfactory, service therefore no
longer required."

Ravens can live to a very ripe age.  The oldest raven
to live at the Tower was called Jim Crow who died at
the age of 44.  The oldest raven currently at the
Tower is Hardey who is 24 years old.

Ravens in Wartime

The fortunes of the Tower Ravens reached their
lowest point just after World War II when only Raven
Grip was left at the Tower. It is believed that the
birds were upset by the continuous bombing of
London. There is also the suggestion, although it
has never been proved, that one raven, Mabel,
was kidnapped!

The Ravens Today

Since 1987 the Tower has undertaken a successful
breeding programme for the ravens. Charlie and
Rhys paired up and produced a total of 17 chicks.

Two of the newest recruits came from the Owl
Sanctuary in the New Forest having been rescued
as fledglings. Called Odin and Thor, they have been
at the Tower since 1997. Thor is a very good
mimic .... on a quiet day he will repeat things the
Raven Master has said to him with exactly the right
tone to create all sorts of confusion! He started
imitating Derrick, who often receives a "good
morning" from him - as, apparently, did a delighted
Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited
the Tower.

The Tower of London 

Founded by William the Conqueror in 1066-7 and
enlarged and modified by successive sovereigns,
today the Tower of London is one of the world's
most famous and spectacular fortresses. During
its 900 year history it has been a royal palace and
fortress, prison and place of execution, mint,
arsenal, menagerie and jewel house.