Pollution is Turning the (White) Tower of London Yellow

[Lobster Martini]

From LiveScience:

A moat and fortified walls have protected the Tower of London from vandals for almost 800 years, but against the ravages of pollution, the iconic royal palace doesn’t stand a chance. The entire complex is turning yellow from the exhaust of cars and trucks, according to a new study.

The discoloration is most noticeable at the complex’s White Tower, the original square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. “When we question visitors, they say the color is cream,” said study co-author Peter Brimblecombe, an atmospheric chemist at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. The results are detailed in this month’s issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

In the next 20 years, Brimblecombe said, the famous tower will turn a more brownish yellow. “You might imagine how angry people are going to get about paying a large sum of money to see a yellow tower that’s supposed to be white,” he said.

<snip>

Brimblecombe explained that too much washing can damage the stonework. “Our aim is not to clean buildings of their history, but we also don’t want them changing color,” he said. “The aim is to be aware of coming changes, prepare for them and keep them at a publicly-acceptable level.”

Link: http://www.livescience.com/history/070525_tower_london_color.html

[The Straight Story]

1. See, they make people smoke outside and it all goes to hell (nt)

[Lobster Martini]

2. True, it was Sir Walter Raleigh

"Sir Walter Raleigh spent thirteen years (1603-1616) imprisoned at the Tower but was able to live in relative comfort in the Bloody Tower with his wife and two children. For some of the time he even grew tobacco on Tower Green, just outside his apartment."

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Same problem with the Taj Mahal -- it's getting a mud pack treatment. nt

[malaise]

4. WIth all the blood that was shed in that

tower, I'm surprised it hasn't turned scarlet red.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Ah, you're looking for

the Bloody Tower, not the White Tower.

[malaise]

6. Thanks n/t