THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF:

Christopher Skaife has what he describes as "the oddest job in Britain". His official title is Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London. He is one of the former soldiers who are selected to be the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London and custodians of its ancient rituals. As if that isn't Gormenghastian enough, Skaife is also the Tower's ravenmaster, responsible for the safety and welfare of the seven fearsome, black-as-night corvids on whose continued residence at the Tower the fate of the nation depends, at least according to legend. As Skaife neatly puts it: "I look after the ravens - and the ravens look after us."

Skaife grew up in Dover; at the age of 16, after some run-ins with the police and fights with local gangs, he left to join the army: "My parents probably thought, well, if it's not that, he's going to end up in jail." It was, he says, "the best decision I ever made". After two decades of military service he applied to be a Yeoman Warder. He admits the ravens are now "my life".

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