A photograph of the ancient passages beneath the Tower of London. There is a strong contrast between the dark shadows on the right of the photograph and the illumination of the left hand side of the scene which captures the detailed texture of the rough stone bricks. There is an iron grille gate on the right hand side.

The passages were unearthed during the building alterations of 1899. These were undertaken on the Guardhouse that was considered too small and inconvenient. Authorities decided to dismantle the original structure in order to build a larger one in its place. The building work was significant not only in terms of structural improvement. It also led to an unprecedented disruption of the Ceremony of the Keys, a daily occurrence since the fourteenth century.