WATCH: Jadis Charges the Tower of London | Narnia Forums
In the book Jadis goes on a rampage terrorizing London, but why might she target the Tower of London?
JEWELS!
The Queen of Charn’s fascination for jewels is shown by her demand to Uncle Andrew:
“Then bring me to places where I can get clothes and jewels and slaves fit for my rank. Tomorrow I will begin the conquest of the world.” (Lewis, 1955).
In the book her rampage across London includes robbing a jewelry store with a bystander complaining about the theft to the police constable:
“That’s the woman, that’s the woman,” cried the fat man, pointing at Jadis. “Do your duty, Constable. Hundreds and thousands of pounds’ worth she’s taken out of my shop. Look at that rope of pearls round her neck. That’s mine.” (Lewis, 1955)
Exactly what kind of jewels might Jadis be after that are stored in the tower of London?
The Imperial State Crown (Historic Royal Palaces, n.d.)
The Tower of London famously guards the royal family’s coronation jewels for the monarch (Historic Royal Places, n.d.). In the book Jadis is out on a quest not just for dazzling accessories but for conquest of Earth (Lewis, 1955). What better way to assert her dominion as Jadis Queen of Earth than stealing the crown of Queen Elizabeth II? Although the book does describe both Jadis stealing jewelry and seeking to be queen of our world, it might seem as if the film adaptation combining these characteristics into a grand cinematic heist of the crown jewels is a stroke of brilliance. The scene that was shot with Jadis and Digory riding Strawberry in a fervent gallop into the Tower of London raises the stakes of the rampage and has grander cinematic imagery than a smash and grab at the pawn shop.
(UnBoxPHD, 2025)
The filming outside of the Tower of London was completed with Emma Mackey’s stunt double. Unlike the Bank Station set where David McKenna’s stunt double was present this time a dummy was used as a stand-in for Digory. The mannequin’s head is expected to be digitally replaced in post-production, but what if the image offered a clue to an alternate more sinister context of the Tower of London location? Maybe instead of just stealing the crown jewels Jadis has kidnapped Digory with a sack over his head to lock him away in the infamous dungeon. The narrative of Digory as an unwitting victim would explain his presence in the Queen of Charn’s ride of terror. In the book he does not partake in the rampage, but actively tries to stop the madness by sending Jadis back to her own world. Only time will tell the full context of the new Tower of London sequence and how it plays out in the rest of the story.
(UnBoxPHD, 2025)
The photos and videos from the Tower of London location shoot have revealed our clearest look at the potential costume for Jadis based on what Emma Mackey’s stunt double was seen wearing. Based on the new references I have redesigned the costume concept rendering based on the image from a previous article.
Original Artist Creation by David Sutton of Emma Mackey as Jadis
The most notable revisions from the previous conceptual costume rendering include shortening the train of the dress, copying photo accurate metalic shoulder cuffs, and removing the arm accessory from her right side. It is possible that the stunt actress only wears the parts of her armor on the side that will is visible to the camera while freeing up her other arm for safety. It is possible that the costume is meant to be added on to in post-production perhaps with otherworldly illuminations. The Tower of London set photos that show the arm accessory only on the left side is peculiar. Is Jadis a diva making a fashion statement like a one gloved Michael Jackson or did she loose some of her armor as part of her rampage? I do like that that the clear metallic costume captures the otherworldly metals of Charn that captured my imagination as described in the book:
In an earlier article I speculated about the potential that the costume might hint at a ’50s science fiction inspired look for Charn and the notable absence of a Hansom cab being pulled by Strawberry. Those questions still remain unresolved by the new photos and videos from the Tower of London set. In the broader narrative of The Chronicles of Narnia the costume of Jadis works on several levels foreshadowing when Jadis becomes The White Witch (Lewis, 1950). It is easy to imagine her casting off of the teal, blue, and copper metalic shoulder cuffs and arm band to to reveal a silver base costume at the foundation of a transformation into The White Witch.
This film adaptation appears to emphasize repeatability by moving the setting to a contemporary time-frame of living nostalgia and filming in familiar locations like the Tower of London. This major tourist location sparks an instant connection with anyone who has been there as a visitor to England. Now the familiar time period of 1955 and popular location make it easier than ever for audiences to picture themselves as part of the adventure with Digory and Jadis gallivanting into the world’s most famous dungeon. Before watching the video at the bottom of this article feel free to immerse yourself in this Google Street View version of the film location.
A key moment from the book is that Jadis damages a lamp-post during her ride of terror across London and the broken shard she brings into Narnia is the literal seed of the future lamp-post seen in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis, 1950; Lewis, 1955). One of the far reaching ramifications of changing the setting of the movie from 1900 to 1955 is that it fundamentally alters the lamp-post and what it represents from gaslighting to electric. From the Google Street View imagery it can be seen that all of the lamp-posts surrounding the Tower of London are a distinctive blue and gold. We don’t know exactly when or how Jadis damages a lamp-post, but if she were to break one of these lamp-posts in a fight with a beefeater the lamp-post brought back to Narnia would be blue from the style of light fixtures adorning the Tower of London. Based on this potential outcome I have manually adjusted the image from a previous article to show what this might look like in the next Narnia sequel based on this location and time period.
Original Artist Creation by David Sutton of a Blue Lamp-post with Electric Lighting
The modernization of the new ’50s era that The Magician’s Nephew film is set in brings repeatability at the risk of technological modernization invading the escapist fantasy world of Narnia. As Jonathon Svendsen recently speculated in his article about the lamp-post’s significance the modern rampage wouldn’t capture the same feeling if Jadis broke a shard of a pedestrian crosswalk light instead of a lamp-post. Based on the new costume images I have manually re-designed this illustration of that absurd imagery.
Original Artist Creation by David Sutton of Jadis Menacing a Traffic Light Mace in her Ride of Terror
The inclusion of a new Tower of London sequence which wasn’t part of the book seems jarring at first and such a change might add to the controversy of the movie like the rumored casting of Meryl Streep as Aslan. The new scene also has the potential of building upon themes from the Queen of Charn’s quest for both jewels and conquest. In an optimistic view it has the potential of being a grand cinematic adventure at a location in space and time relatable to many in the audience. There are still burning questions that wait to be answered, but for now please enjoy the video below while we wait for The Magician’s Nephew to premiere November 26, 2026 exclusively in IMAX.
Rampage of Jadis
This video was created using footage shared on social media by @NarnianSource, @feebsaquarius, and UnBoxPHD. Some footage has been augmented with artificial intelligence. Audio from The Magician’s Nephew audio drama by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.
Original Sources
References:
Historic Royal Palaces (n.d.). THE CROWN JEWELS UP CLOSE. Retrieved August 24, 2025 from https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/crown-jewels/
Lewis, C.S. (1950). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. HarperCollins
Lewis, C.S. (1955). The Magician’s Nephew. HarperCollins
Lewis, C.S. (1999). The Magician’s Nephew [Audiobook]. Focus on the Family Radio Theatre
Narnian Source (2025). Another footages from #TheMagiciansNephew filming.━━━━━━━━━━#narnia #thechroniclesofnarnia #netflix #gretagerwig #narnianetflix [Video] Retrieved August 24, 2025 from
Pritchard, F. (2025). Filming in my neighbourhood today #Narnia #TheMagiciansNephew #Netflix [Video]. Retrieved August 18, 2025 from
UnBoxPHD (2025). Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew BEHIND THE SCENES [Video]. Retrieved August 24, 2025 from
UnBoxPHD (2025). The White Witch Filming The Magician’s Nephew at Tower Of London [Video]. Retrieved August 24, 2025 from
UnBoxPHD (2025). The White Witch’s Outfit for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew [Picture]. Retrieved August 24, 2025 from
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