anks to the drastic removals of recent years, the White Tower stands
to-day very much as when first erected. In plan it is practically
rectangular, but the north-east angle is capped by a projecting circular
turret containing the great main staircase that ascends from the
basement to the roof, serving each floor _en passant_, while the south
angle of the east face has a large semicircular projection that contains
the apse of the chapel. The main staircase terminates in a large
circular turret of two stories, that rises some twenty-nine feet above
the roof. The other angles terminate in three rectangular turrets about
fourteen feet square, and twenty-seven feet high above the roof. The
walls are at the base some fifteen feet in thickness, exclusive of the
steep battering plinth from which they rise, and which slopes sharply
outwards. They diminish by set-offs at each floor. The interior is
divided into two unequally sized chambers by a cross-wall ten feet in
thickness, running from north to south. Of these, the eastern one is
again subdivided by a thick cross-wall at its southern end, which is
carried up solid to the roof, while on the upper floors the central wall
is perforated by arcades of three, and four perfectly plain semicircular
headed arches. To the north and west the basement floor is about sixteen
feet below the existing ground level, which falls rapidly along the east
side, and on the south it is practically on the ground level, as the
ground there has not been artificially raised. The two larger chambers
of the basement have a modern plain brick barrel vault. The well, a
plain ashlar pipe six feet in diameter, is in the south-western angle of
the floor in the western chamber. The south-eastern chamber retains its
original stone barrel vault. This forms the sub-crypt of the crypt below
St. John's Chapel, and is lighted, or at least its darkness is made
dimly visible, by a single small loop in the east wall. It is now known
as "Little Ease," and is said to have served as the prison of Guy
Fawkes. The basement chambers have boldly sloped recesses in the walls,
with small loops high up in their heads, which afford the minimum of air
and light; but as they were only used for stores, this was not of great
importance. Ascending by the main staircase to the second floor, the
same subdivision into three chambers is continued, but these were
lighted by larger loops, that have been converted into larger windows at
the ti