Esoteric London

Central Street, London, EC1. Photo ©RogerDean 2014

Reliques Of Old London Upon The Banks Of The Thames And In The Suburbs South Of The River – H.B. Wheatley, 1899:

That portion of the Tower which chiefly interested our forefathers was the menagery [sic]. The Lion Tower stood on the site of the present entrance, just without the Middle Tower. Henry I. kept lions and leopards, and Henry III. added to the collection. The Tower menagery was one of the sights of London up to the reign of William IV., from which the expression “seeing the lions” originated.