Social media is awash with house tour videos – but perhaps none of those are more impressive, or unusual, than that of Tom Houghton, who resided for several years in the Tower of London.
The comedian took to TikTok to reveal how his unlikely residence came to be – telling his followers that his father, General Nick Houghton is the ex-Chief of Defence Staff, who was also appointed as Constable of the Tower of London in 2016. “At the time he got that [appointment] I was living in Brighton with my comedy group,” Tom said.
He continued: “I left my comedy group and moved to London in order to get more opportunities, but I had to take a financial hit and was left with a dilemma over where to live. I had a choice – either rent a cupboard in Zone 5 or the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live rent-free with my dad in the centre, in the great, big historical palace.”
Tom soon moved into Queen’s House [now King’s House] where he remained throughout the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Guiding his followers through the front door, he explained: “It was completed in 1540 under the reign of Henry VIII – they say he built it for Anne Boleyn, but that’s not true, he built it for the Lieutenant of the Tower at the time.”
Adding humour to his clip, Tom showcased the marble head of a “bloke he doesn’t know”, before pointing his camera towards the staircase leading to the main house and a prayer room, which belonged to Thomas More who was head of the Catholic Church and later beheaded for refusing to accept Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England.
Next, Tom recorded footage of his home’s ceremonial chamber complete with “fancy chairs, a fireplace and another marble bloke I don’t know”. He also revealed a wall of photographs of previous Lieutenants including the Duke of Wellington.
In a third video, meanwhile, taken during a Covid-19 lockdown, Tom said he was “isolating like a royal” as he revealed a walkway balcony to the exterior of the property, which he claimed was used by Elizabeth I whilst she was being held on suspicion of treason.
“I went to the Tower of London two days ago, and I genuienly wondered what that house was like inside, so thanks for this video!” one TikTok user penned in response.
A second added: “You are so lucky. That would be an amazing place to live, would you be able to do any ghost hunts, that must be rife with paranormal activity?” A third shared a similar tale: “We had friends that lived in the Tower of London, my friend’s hubby was a Yeoman Warder. Amazing place, so much history, and yes from not believing in ghosts – living there changed that.”
Whilst a fourth added: “I don’t feel you need to justify it, anybody would make that decision. Best of luck with the comedy career, other than that really enjoy your content.”
The Tower of London, a royal fortress located in the heart of London and one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, is home to the Yeoman Wardens and their families, the Resident Governor and the garrison of soldiers. According to the Tower’s website, there is an on-site doctor, chaplain and even a pub.
Tom is embarking on a European tour in April, meanwhile, before returning to the UK to perform in dozens of towns cities between September and November.
