The White Tower was begun in 1078 under William the Conqueror and built by Bishop Gundulf of Rochester. It was probably finished by 1100. It measures 118 by 105 feet (36 by 32 m) at the base and is 90 feet (27 m) high at the southern battlements. It is built of Kentish ragstone, with Caen stone details that were later largely replaced by Portland stone. Its style is Norman.
The castle grew in concentric rings. Richard I dug a moat west of the White Tower and created the inner ward, and Henry III built its east and north walls. Edward I completed the outer ward in 1285, spending £21,000 between 1275 and 1285.
The Crown Jewels have been housed here since probably the reign of Henry III, and the display holds 23,578 gemstones. UNESCO listed the Tower in 1988, and it had 2,817,852 visitors in 2025.
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