The executioner model

Most executions at the Tower of London took place in public view on Tower Hill, but two of Henry VIIIs wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were beheaded within the walls of the Tower. As a further mercy, Anne Boleyn was beheaded by an expert French swordsman rather than by axe. The last execution by block and axe was carried out by John Thrift, the public executioner, on 9th April 1747 when the 80-year-old Lord Lovat was beheaded on Tower Hill. This model is produced exclusively for Historic Royal Palaces. You can have your own model to build from scratch - great fun for smaller fans of the grisly side of British history.