The Ravens of the Tower of London
Eight birds on a lawn, one prophecy about the fall of the Crown, and an origin story that turns out to be younger than almost everybody thinks.
The prophecy
The belief is simple and absolute: if the ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it. It is the best-known superstition attached to any British building, and it is repeated by guides, guidebooks and the fortress itself. At least six birds are kept against it. There were eight in 2025.
Charles II, and why the date is wrong
Local legend puts the captive population in the reign of Charles II, between 1660 and 1685. Some historians disagree, and the disagreement includes the Tower’s own official historian, who describes the raven mythology as likely to be a Victorian flight of fantasy. That is a striking thing for an attraction to say about its own best story, and it is worth repeating accurately.
A Warder will tell this story better than a page can, and the departures that book time with one are on tower of london private tour.
1883: the earliest evidence
The earliest known reference to captive ravens at the fortress is an illustration from 1883. Two centuries after Charles II, and squarely in the period when the Victorians were busy restoring the Tower into what they thought a medieval castle ought to be. The birds are real and the tradition is real; the chain back to the Restoration is not documented.
Where the birds came from
Wild ravens were once common across Britain, towns included, and the fortress sat inside their natural range. Once they had been driven out of most of that range, including London, a population here could only exist in captivity and with official support. Some of the current birds were bred in Somerset rather than taken from the wild.
The Ravenmaster’s day
The birds are tended every day by the Ravenmaster, a Yeoman Warder, heading a team of Warders known as the Ravenmaster’s assistants. They are fed, housed at night, and watched. It is one of the specialist appointments within the garrison — the Warders and their roles are set out separately.
Wings, and what trimming actually means
The birds’ flight feathers are trimmed on one wing, which unbalances flight enough to keep them on the grounds without preventing them from flying short distances. It is not clipping in the sense people imagine, and the birds move about the fortress freely. They have, on occasion, left anyway.
What they are fed
Raw meat and blood-soaked biscuit, mostly, with the occasional egg. They are not scavenging for scraps, which is why the signs ask visitors not to feed them: a bird on a managed diet does not need your sandwich, and a raven that learns to approach people for food becomes a problem for everyone including itself.
The birds, and what is known about them
| Kept by tradition | At least six at all times |
| Number in 2025 | Eight |
| Cared for by | The Ravenmaster, a Yeoman Warder, and his assistants |
| Origin of some birds | Bred in Somerset |
| Legend attaches them to | Charles II, who reigned 1660–1685 |
| Earliest known evidence | An illustration from 1883 |
| The Tower’s own historian’s view | “Likely to be a Victorian flight of fantasy” |
| Wings | Trimmed on one side; the birds still fly short distances |
The population as published: at least six by tradition, eight as of 2025, with the earliest documentary evidence far later than the legend claims.
Where to find them
On the lawn beside the keep for most of the day, and around the South Lawn. They are large, close and entirely unbothered by people, which is exactly why the signs ask you not to feed them and not to reach out. A raven’s beak is not a decorative feature.
Ask a Yeoman Warder about the ravens rather than reading a sign about them: they keep the birds and they will tell you which one bullies which. The tour that comes free with your ticket is the easiest way to get that conversation, and the paid Beefeater departures book the time in advance.
The rest of what is worth seeing inside the walls, and how long each departure gives you among it, is compared on Tower of London Tours.