Budding musicians from Cranmer Primary School visited London’s famous fortress for a performance watched by an audience of tourists, Beefeaters and ravens!

Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London, in partnership with musical charity Water City Music, invited the Mitcham school to perform for the annual Water City Music at the Tower event.

The students performed a mix of existing pieces along with their own compositions, inspired by the Tower’s history.

Lou Fryer, music leader at Cranmer, who brought the Year 3 – 6 choir group to perform said: “It’s been a brilliant experience for the children.

"For many this is their second visit to the Tower as part of the Water City Music initiative, so they are well on their way to becoming vocal pros.

"All of our pupils were so excited to be participating in this event again.”

The arts initiative featured more than 1000 children from both primary and secondary schools across London and visitors were treated to an eclectic mix of styles including jazz and funk-rock.

Lucie Parkes, learning manager at Historic Royal Palaces said: “Music is a powerful tool to breathe life into historical figures and events, making it feel relevant for today’s young people.

"Despite being so local, many of the students who performed at the event have never visited the Tower before.

"Water City Music at the Tower is a brilliant way to connect school-aged children to their local community and their city’s past.

"Many of the schools taking part come from London boroughs where the child poverty rate is amongst the highest in the country and so, ultimately, we hope the event has a lasting effect on pupil’s self-confidence, sense of belonging and motivation to practise and perform music.”