Every evening, the heavy wooden gates of the Tower of London are secured in an age-old tradition known as the Ceremony of the Keys. The origins of this observance can be traced back for more than 700 years and for the last 100 years, the Chief Yeoman Warder has carried a unique brass lantern to light his way as he performs this duty.
During much of the First World War, the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) provided the Tower garrison but in 1919 after handing back the Tow...er Guard to the Foot Guards, the HAC’s 3rd Battalion presented a lantern to the Yeomen Warders as a mark of friendship during their time on duty.
The lamp was presented on the 12 May 1919 and was used for the ceremony of the keys that night and every night ever since.
100 years later, the HAC provided the step Guard and bugler that sounded ‘The Last Post’ at the end of the centenary celebratory ceremony undertaken by the Welsh Guards.
The Ceremony of the Keys forms part of the formal process of locking up of the Tower. This process started in the mid-1300s after King Edward III had turned up unannounced one night and had been able to walk into the Tower unchallenged and demanded that security was improved. Today it is one of the oldest formal daily ceremonies that take place anywhere in the world. And is still as relevant today as 700 years ago because although the monarch no longer lives here, the Crown Jewels do!
The HAC is the oldest regiment in the British Army and can trace its origins back to 1537. Today, its greatest association with the Tower of London is the firing of Gun Salutes on Royal and State occasions from Tower Wharf. It has undertaken this duty since 1924 when the Regular detachment was disbanded.
Shrouded in secrecy the actual ceremony of the keys can be neither filmed nor photographed but we hope you enjoyed our coverage of a very slick centenary celebratory rehearsal!
