The Tower of London, officially known as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls. The Tower has served as a prison until 1952 and due to that is has a bad reputation as a place of torture and death, but it also served as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. It's also protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.