HomeAttractionsThe Tower of London Announces Its Biggest-Ever Investment in Learning and Community

The Tower of London Announces Its Biggest-Ever Investment in Learning and Community

For nearly a thousand years, the Tower of London has been a fortress, a royal palace, and an infamous prison. Now Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the independent charity that cares for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, has announced plans to make it something else as well: one of the UK’s most ambitious places to learn. Unveiled on July 15, 2026, it is the largest investment in learning and community engagement in the Tower’s history — and it will expand the Tower’s learning capacity by 250%.

In practical terms, that means school visits rising from 125,000 to 200,000 a year, with digital programs and outreach extending the Tower’s reach across the country. New, fully accessible facilities designed by Jamie Fobert Architects will include two new learning centers, dedicated community spaces, and an Archive Study Center, alongside a ‘green classroom’ in the Moat designed by landscape architects Grant Associates. Together, they replace what HRP calls fragmented provision with spaces built for modern education — hands-on workshops, multi-sensory learning, teacher training, community programs, and live broadcasts.

The program sits at the heart of Tomorrow’s Tower, HRP’s long-term vision for the site, spanning education, visitor experience, sustainability, access, and conservation. It has been made possible by an extraordinary run of philanthropic support, including The Julia Rausing Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Clore Duffield Foundation, the Sandys Trust, Charles & Nicky Manby, the Star Family Foundation, and Herbert & Ellen Kozlov — with fundraising still ongoing.

“The Tower of London should be a place of learning, discovery and connection for everyone, and Tomorrow’s Tower is our long-term commitment to making that happen. Thanks to the generosity of our funders, we are opening the Tower up more widely, so future generations can understand why its stories still matter.”
John Barnes, Chief Executive, Historic Royal Palaces

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A new front door on the Wharf

The first stop for hundreds of school and community groups each year will be the Weston Learning & Community Center on the Wharf. Designed around participation and belonging, it will offer flexible hands-on learning spaces — among them the Clore Learning Studio, the Charles and Nicky Manby Courtyard, a dedicated community room, and a calming sensory zone — many with sweeping views of the Tower and the London skyline. Expect workshops led by costumed presenters and nature-based activities for all ages.

The Waterloo Block reborn

The centerpiece is the historic Waterloo Block, which will be carefully adapted and conserved to create the three-floor Julia Rausing Learning Center — the new epicenter for learning at the Tower, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust. The ground floor will provide a fully accessible space for community and school groups; the first floor adds studios and lunchrooms for year-round visits; and the second floor will house further learning studios, an Interactive Broadcast Studio beaming the Tower into classrooms across the UK, and a new Archive Study Center.

That archive is one of the more quietly thrilling parts of the plan. For the first time, the Tower’s architectural archives will be opened to the public in a dedicated, fully accessible space, bringing together more than 25,000 drawings spanning over 200 years of design, building, and conservation work across the Tower and the other palaces in HRP’s care. A hidden resource, in other words, becomes a living part of the Tower experience.

“Julia Rausing strongly believed that access to education and culture can have a transformative and profound lasting impact on people’s lives. Through the Julia Rausing Learning Centre, many more children and communities will have the opportunity to engage with one of the UK’s most significant historic sites in ways that are interactive, inclusive and accessible.”
Simon Fourmy, Chief Executive, The Julia Rausing Trust

A green classroom in the Moat — and a room for the neighbors

Out in the Tower’s historic Moat — already being transformed into a biodiverse, climate-resilient landscape in the heart of the city — a new green classroom will invite school and community groups to explore biodiversity, climate, and history together, showing how nature and heritage are connected. It’s designed for hands-on outdoor learning, curiosity, and wellbeing, and for conversations about how nature can help us see familiar places in a new light.

Perhaps most significant of all for East Londoners: the Mint Street Community Room will be the first dedicated community space in the Tower’s thousand-year history — a room specifically for its neighbors, supporting activity co-created with local residents and partners. For a fortress that has loomed over the East End for a millennium, it’s a notable gesture of openness.

“For over a thousand years, the Tower has been many things — fortress, palace, prison and garrison — but throughout its history it has always brought people together. By opening up new spaces for learning, community and discovery, we are ensuring the Tower’s stories continue to resonate, reaching more classrooms, more communities and the millions of people from around the world who visit each year.”
Brigadier Andrew Jackson, Governor of the Tower of London

For architect Jamie Fobert, whose practice has twice been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize, the task has been a balancing act: “The Tower of London is so rich in history and extraordinary architecture; it is an honor to be tasked with creating new learning and community spaces within its walls,” he said. “We have striven to breathe new life into underused spaces, always mindful of the past while creating opportunities for the future.”

The Essentials

What: Tomorrow’s Tower — Historic Royal Palaces’ long-term vision for the Tower of London, including its biggest-ever investment in learning and community engagement
Where: Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
The headline: Learning capacity up 250%; school visits rising from 125,000 to 200,000 a year
New spaces: Weston Learning & Community Center, Julia Rausing Learning Center (Waterloo Block), Archive Study Centre, Mint Street Community Room, and a green classroom in the Moat
Nearest station: Tower Hill
More: hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/tomorrows-tower