Fiction: The Lady of the Tower

[Paul Ferguson]

"In the shadow of impenetrable stone walls and its fearful reputation of torture and imprisonment, life inside the Tower of London was far from ordinary. But for one remarkable woman in the 17th century, the Tower wasn’t just a fortress—it was home, hospital, laboratory, and sanctuary. Elizabeth St. John's novel The Lady of the Tower brings to life the incredible story of Lady Lucy Apsley, who lived, worked, and raised a family within these forbidding walls for thirteen years. One of the Tower’s most famous prisoners during this period was Sir Walter Raleigh. Imprisoned for treason, Raleigh spent much of his time experimenting with alchemy – in Lady Apsley’s henhouse. The “Lady of the Tower” was intrigued by Raleigh’s work and encouraged his pursuit of the philosopher’s stone—not just as a quest for gold, but as a way to unlock deeper medical truths. The blending of alchemical experimentation with practical healing was a reflection of the Renaissance spirit of inquiry, where boundaries between disciplines blurred, and new knowledge emerged from unlikely sources."


https://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/updates...of-london/