Skaife says the ravens often bury their food and come back to it later - and they're particularly partial to eating all the tasty soft bits of a rat, leaving just the head and hide, which he refers to with delighted disgust as a "rat-skin rug." "What would you like," he coos to them, "would you like some mice?"īreakfast of champions: A plastic bin full of slightly gory mice and a choice rat or two. Luckily, Skaife tells me, these particular ravens are disinclined to leave they want to stay where the food is. Because of course, as legend has it, if the ravens ever leave the Tower, it will crumble to dust and a great harm will come to England.
Skaife is the Ravenmaster - one of the Tower's famous uniformed yeoman warders, his particular job is to take care of the seven resident ravens. Except in one corner, where there's a large, luxurious wood-and-wire enclosure that contains some very hungry ravens, hopping and croaking as they spot Christopher Skaife approaching with breakfast. How?Īt 7am, the Tower of London is peaceful - no tour groups, just distant traffic noise, and if you believe the legends, a ghost or three. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. The first behind-the-scenes account of life with the legendary ravens at the world's eeriest monument The ravens at the Tower of London are of mighty importance: rumor has it that if a raven from the Tower should ever leave, the city will fall.Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title The Ravenmaster Subtitle My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London Author Christopher Skaife The title of Ravenmaster, therefore, is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens.
In The Ravenmaster, he lets us in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year. A rewarding, intimate, and inspiring partnership has developed between the ravens and their charismatic and charming human, the Ravenmaster, who shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding the ravens and the Tower.
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