A TikToker shares what it's like to live in the Tower of London, the medieval site where the royal family's crown jewels are stored
Monica Humphries
- Tom Houghton told Insider he's lived within the Tower of London grounds since 2016.
- His father is the constable of the Tower of London, and the role means that the family gets to live in a home within the Tower.
- They live in The Queen's House, one of the residences within the medieval fortress.
Comedian Tom Houghton has gained a following on TikTok for his videos showing what it's like living with his family at their home within the Tower of London.
The Tower of London, a castle on the bank of the River Thames in London, is one of the city's most famous historic sites. It's a tourist attraction, but it also has residents — including 36-year-old comedian and TikTok sensation Tom Houghton.
Since May 2020, Houghton has shared TikTok videos under his account @HonourableTom documenting his family's home at the Tower of London. Houghton has 142,000 followers on the app at the time of writing.
Speaking with Insider, Houghton said that he and his family moved into their Tower of London residence in 2016, when his father, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, the former head of the British military, was appointed to the constable of the Tower of London.
Historically, constables were in charge of the operation, upkeep, and security of Tower, but today the role is largely ceremonial, according to the Tower of London's website Historic Royal Palaces.
Take a look inside the Houghton family's home, called The Queen's House, which was built by Henry VIII in the 16th century.
The Queen's House was built around 1530 under the reign of Henry VIII, and he may have built it for his second wife, Anne Boleyn, according to The Royal Collection Trust.
Today, Houghton and his family are the home's residents. Houghton said that typically, a constable will live in The Queen's House for five years, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton said his family will be there for about six years.
"I know that this is a privileged position to be in, and I know that it's only going to last for a few years, so I wanted to share this as much as possible," Houghton told Insider of his choice to document his time living in the home on TikTok.
Houghton said that he navigates to his home just like any other tourist visiting the Tower of London would - except the guards know him by name.
Houghton enters through the Tower's West Gate, where he's greeted by guards, he told Insider.
"The most impressive thing is that I can just walk in and the guards go, 'Hey Tom,'" he said. "That's that's the first bit where friends go, 'Oh, I can't believe we're doing this.'"
He then walks through the Tower of London's main courtyard, where the iconic White Tower stands.
To get to the home's front door, Houghton said he crosses moats, enters through another gate, and finally, he gets to the courtyard where the White Tower stands.
The White Tower, which was built in the 1070s, stands in the center of the stone fortress, according to the Tower's website.
The White Tower protects the crown jewels, which are a collection of ceremonial objects worn by former British queens and kings, according to the Historic Royal Palaces website.
As Houghton walks to his front door, he passes crowds of tourists surrounded by "beefeaters," which are the Tower's guards.
Yeoman Warders, nicknamed "beefeaters," are the Tower of London's official guards, according to Historic Royal Palaces.
Today, the guards mainly serve as guides who share stories about the Tower's centuries-old history, according to the Historic Royal Palaces website.
Finally, he gets to his front door, where a Queen's Guard is on duty.
Houghton said in a TikTok that his front door is protected by a Queen's Guard — a soldier that guards official royal residences.
In order for Houghton to get to his front door, he said he often has to walk through a crowd of tourists and past the guard.
Houghton told Insider that there is a more discreet side door that he uses often.
The entrance to Houghton's home leads into a foyer filled with historic artwork and a ceremonial chamber. The family has to maintain the home's traditional style in most rooms, Houghton said, and disguise TVs with curtains.
The entrance area of the Queen's House is filled with artifacts and artwork that belong to the Tower of London, Houghton told Insider.
In the very front entrance, there's a bust of Prince Albert. Behind the front entrance is the ceremonial chamber, where there's a wall with portraits of all the former constables, Houghton said in a TikTok video.
Houghton said his family has to follow a standard style in the main rooms — including using small TVs, which have curtains to hide them when they're not in use.
Upstairs, there's a big kitchen, multiple dining rooms, a drawing room, an office, a guest bedroom, and his parents' bedroom.
Houghton said the majority of the home is located on the second story. In some of these rooms, Houghton's family was able to add a bit of their own style, he told Insider.
Houghton's bedroom and study are also on the second story. He said he was allowed to add his own touches to these rooms, like artwork and a TV.
Houghton's bedroom and study are the two areas where he has the freedom to style the room the way he likes, he said. But elements like a giant Tudor-style fireplace in the middle of his bedroom remind him that he's living in a historic residence.
In his study, he has a piano and recording equipment, and the walls are decorated with some of Houghton's paintings and drawings.
A door in Houghton's bedroom leads to The Bell Tower, where hundreds of people were once imprisoned.
Houghton said he was "excited" when he learned his bedroom was connected to The Bell Tower, a part of the Tower of London which was completed in 1210, according to The History Channel.
"I remember being like, 'Yes! This is what I wanted. A proper castle-looking place,'" Houghton said.
The Bell Tower is one of the oldest towers on the grounds, and although it wasn't built as a cell, it held hundreds of prisoners, according to Historic Royal Palaces.
Houghton said the royal family's crown jewels are just a "20-second walk" away from his front door.
In the past four years, Houghton said he's been able to visit parts of the grounds dozens of times.
Houghton said his family's residence is just a few buildings away from the White Tower, where the crown jewels are stored.
Houghton said he is also able to go to many of the ceremonies that take place in the Tower of London, like the nightly Ceremony of The Keys, which is when the main gates are locked.
Houghton said he's thankful for the experience, but he said at times, living in a tourist attraction can pose challenges.
The Tower of London is Britain's most popular tourist attraction, according to Visit Britain. An average of 3 million people walk its grounds every year, Statista reports.
Houghton told Insider that it's "funny" to watch tourists express curiosity at who he is as he leaves and enters the Queen's House.
Houghton said his favorite part about living within the Tower of London is how beautiful the area is - especially at night when it's deserted.
At night, when all the tourists abandon the grounds, Houghton said he loves to explore.
"It's just beautiful," he told Insider. "When it shuts down, and it's nighttime, and you just walk around it and there's no one there — it's just amazing."
He said he feels lucky to live with his family within the walls in the centuries-old fortress.
"You can feel that history has taken part here," he said.
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