Ceremony of the Keys (London) after the Tower. The event is usually sold out at least 12 months in advance. Ceremony of the Keys (London) The Ceremony of the Keys is an ancient ritual, held every evening at the Tower of London, when the main gates are locked for the night. It is said to be the oldest military ceremony in the world, and is the best-known ceremonial tradition of the Tower. At exactly 9.53 pm, the Chief Yeoman Warder, dressed in Tudor watchcoat and bonnet, and carrying a candle lantern, leaves the Byward Tower and falls in with the Escort to the Keys, a
Grand Casemates Gates closing of the gates, a drum-and-fife band awoke the echoes in the narrow streets, accompanying a strong military guard which escorted the keys of the fortress to the Governor's Palace..." The practice was discontinued for a while, then revived as an annual Ceremony of the Keys by General Sir Charles Harington Harington when he took office as governor in 1933. The keys were ceremonially presented to his successor Governor Ironside every evening. Today, a version of the ceremony is staged in Casemates Square at noon every Saturday by actors in uniforms similar to those worn by the defenders during the