I come bearing some utterly fantas-chick news. The Tower of London has just acquired its newest feathery residents in the form of two raven chicks named Henry and Poe. Having spent the first six weeks of their lives living with the Tower of London’s RavenmasterBarney Chandler; the baby ravens have now landed within the tower’s walls, and have been introduced to the place that they’ll call home for the remainder of their kingdom-guarding careers.
According to the Ravenmaster, Henry and Poe have taken to their new abode rather well, and are seeming both inquisitive and excited. The raven chicks will spend the next few weeks becoming accustomed to their surroundings before venturing out of their enclosure and exploring the rest of the castle’s grounds.
The ravens at the Tower of London
Named after the plethora of historic Henry’s and Edgar Allan Poe (who wrote the famous poem, ‘The Raven’), the chicks will join the six ravens that already reside at the Tower of London. Legend has it that six ravens must be present at all times in order to keep the kingdom safe.
Charles II is said to have proclaimed that if the six raven residents ever leave the Tower of London, both the kingdom and the monarch will fall. It seems a bit dramatic if you ask me, but – then again – who am I to talk? Henry and Poe take the number of ravens to eight in totalso I guess the kingdom is extra safe for now.
The ravens currently preside over four different sections within the Tower of London. They can often be seen by visitors, but they only respond to the Ravenmaster and shouldn’t be approached too closely by anybody else.
Yeoman Warder Barney Chandler, Ravenmaster of the Tower of Londonsaid: “It’s an honour to be introducing our new raven chicks Henry and Poe to the Tower of London, and I’m absolutely delighted with how they’ve settled in so far. The team and I have had a busy couple of weeks looking after these troublemakers, who require a lot of care and attention when they’re very young, but now that they’re almost fully fledged we’re ready to bring them into the fold and let the other ravens take over showing them the ropes.”
You can find out more about the ravens and plan your visit to the Tower of London here.
