Latest news with #Beefeaters
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Former RAF officer from Cardiff becomes Tower of London Beefeater
A former RAF Warrant Officer from Cardiff has been selected as a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of Harris served in the RAF for more than 36 years, during which time he was deployed for tours to Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Cyprus. Nicknamed Beefeaters, it is a position introduced by Henry VII in 1485 to help guard the fortress and YW Harris is thought to be the first Welsh Beefeater in more than a decade. YW Harris described his appointment as an immense honour, and said he was "extremely proud to represent Wales". As one of 35 who live and work at the tower, YW Harris said he has enjoyed settling into his "quirky new home within the tower's vibrant community". He said he left Cardiff in 1988 and has worked at stations all over the UK with the RAF, but it means an "awful lot" to him to be able to represent the national heritage."At the end of my career it's great to be allowed to continue the historical elements of service life," he said. Describing what it was like to put on the uniform, YW Harris said you just "cannot imagine" the feeling. "It was immense" he said, adding it was "such an immensely proud moment". "I have a lot to learn and will be focused on learning the tower's history and legends before I am ready to share these with our visitors, so the next few months are going to be incredibly exciting."Part of the criteria for becoming a YW is a minimum of 22 years' service with the military, to hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and to have reached the rank of warrant officer or equivalent, before being selected for the coming months, YW Harris will learn "the story" – the script of the famous Yeoman Warder tour, in verbatim, before he can lead his own tours of the Tower of London. He will also be required to learn the 21 separate duties conducted by the Yeoman Body each day, including the Ceremony of the Keys, a closing ceremony that has taken place every single night for at least 700 years.A devoted sportsman, YW Harris is known to be a supporter of Welsh rugby, Cardiff City FC, and the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey club, having coached the RAF Ice Hockey team to four successive inter-service championships during his previous career.
Time Out
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best tourist attraction in London
It's not difficult to see why tourists flock to London in their millions each and every year. Steeped in centuries of history and teeming with all sorts of culture, London isn't short on things to do or see. Some people may come here for the food, others for the history, some for the architecture, others for the art, music and nightlife. But there are several sights in the city that are considered unmissable for anyone popping their London cherry. To find out which of them are the most popular, researchers budget hotel chain, Travelodge, quizzed 13,500 people on their favourite London tourist attraction. The votes were counted and (drumroll please) the Tower of London came out on top. Attracting more than three million people a year, the tower houses 900 years worth of British history, from Henry VIII's codpiece to medieval torture tools to the dazzling Crown Jewels. If you have plans to visit the Tower, we recommend joining a tour led by one of the costumed Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters) who live and work there. Time Out contributing writer Alex Sims said: 'They're a fun bunch, filling their talks full of jokes and fun jibes, as well as nitty gritty details you won't find in the guidebook.' Covent Garden, synonymous with theatre, shopping, street entertainment and fine dining, was the second most popular place, according to Travelodge's survey. It's got the spectacular Royal Opera House, the iconic central piazza that hosts Covent Garden market and a bunch of Time Out-approved restaurants, like Savoy Grill, Tandoor Chop House and Parsons. In third place was royal HQ, Buckingham Palace. While much of the palace is private, there's still plenty for non blue-bloods to check out. Tourists can wander around the King's Gallery, take guided tours and watch the changing of the guard, which happens every morning at 10.45am. Other must-see London landmarks to make the top 10 were Big Ben, Borough Market, Camden Market and the Natural History Museum. A Travelodge spokesperson said: 'It's no surprise that the top spots were taken by iconic, historic classics like the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, but it's also great to see people rate newer attractions such as Battersea Power Station and Sky Garden too.' If we're looking at actual visitor numbers though, data from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions recently revealed that the British Museum was the most visited attraction in not only London, but the whole of the UK for 2024. The top 20 attractions in London, according to Travelodge Tower of London Covent Garden Buckingham Palace Natural History Museum Camden Market Big Ben Borough Market The London Eye British Museum Tower Bridge Victoria and Albert Museum Imperial War Museum Battersea Power Station Harry Potter Studio Tour Science Museum Sky Garden Hyde Park Hampton Court Palace St Paul's Cathedral Tate Modern See Time Out's guide to London's 50 best attractions here and a list of our favourite alternative attractions here.
BBC News
30-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Former Royal Marine from Yelverton becomes Beefeater
A former Royal Marine from Devon has been appointed as a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of Gray, who has been living in Yelverton, was a sergeant major and served for 26 years during which he was deployed on tours to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Gray said it was "a definite life highlight" to have been selected as the 35th Beefeater in the nicknamed Beefeaters, were introduced in 1485 by Henry VII to help guard the tower. Today's YWs need to have at least 22 years' military service, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and have reached the rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent before being selected for also have to be between 40 and 55 years Gray retired from the Royal Marines in 2016 and since has skied 730 miles (1,175 km) solo and unsupported across the Antarctic continent in 38 said: "I've had many adventures throughout my life in the Royal Marines, and beyond, but this is a definite life highlight."He explained the majority of the role involved engaging with the public by giving tours, answering questions and "being that face which is so legendary across the world". 'Incredible' historic uniform YW Gray told BBC Radio Devon it was "breathtaking" to wear the iconic red and gilt uniform YWs have worn since 1549 and the daily blue and red one introduced in said: "It's incredible to be standing there wearing it and knowing the history behind it. It's quite breath-taking sometimes."Over the coming months, he said he would learn the 21 daily duties conducted by the YWs, including the Ceremony of the Keys, which has taken place every night for at least 700 years. He said he is also learning "the story", the 8,000 word script of the YW tour, which must be learned verbatim before he will be allowed to lead his own tours of the Tower of London.
