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Artworks
Henry III was inspired to the start the Menagerie in the 1200s following a gift of three 'leopards' (probably lions but referred to as leopards in the heraldry on the king's shield) by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.
A troop of Hamadryas baboons command the wall in front of the Jewel House at the Tower. The baboons, playful, humerous and fierce were particularly popular with visitors.
In the 1750s locals experienced ‘The School of Monkeys’ who were allowed to roam free. Records exist of a particularly violent baboon who used to smoke a pipe and hurl objects and stones at everyone close by; even on its journey to the Tower, this animal reportedly killed a boy by throwing a cannonball at him.
Photo by James Brittain