The Tower is Tested

Historians don't believe Henry commissioned any further work at the castle, nor was there any during the anarchy of Stephen's Reign. Even Henry II, recognised as one of England's foremost castle builders, only refurbished the royal quarters and, at most, added a small, square tower against the main tower's south side to strengthen the entrance. After this relatively obscure spell, the Tower returned to national attention during the reign of Richard I.

When the king went on crusade shortly after ascending the throne, he left William Longchamp as Chancellor. Longchamp started to reinforce the castle with a new tower, wall and a hugely expensive moat. Documents reveal that £2881 was spent on forty-nine weeks work ending November 11th 1190, a huge sum for the day. However, Longchamp's policies upset many and Richard's brother John entered London in 1191 to seize control of England. Longchamp fled to the Tower but was forced to surrender partly because, according to contemporary chroniclers, his new moat didn't hold water!
With Longchamp banished, historians believe John completed the existing works. This is partly because of deduction – John often stayed at the Tower and would have realised that it needed more work – and partly because of evidence from the Bell Tower. Started under Longchamp, this formed the south-west corner of the castle defences and is octagonal from the its base to the ground floor before changing to a cylinder, indicative of a change in owner and building priority.

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