Origins of the Iron Throne?

Linked via Wikia (c) HBO.

Recently, George RR Martin wrote that few artists render the iron throne the way he imagined it. In fact, on his blog, he provides a picture of Marc Simonetti’s depiction of the iron throne – an enormous monstrosity so large you have to mount it by climbing steps.

Today, while reading J.R. Lander’s Wars of the Roses, I stumbled across a picture that made me wonder if it planted a seed for the iron throne in GRRM’s mind a long time ago.

In Tewkesbury Abbey, the door to the Sacristy is covered in pieces of armor allegedly collected from the plate armor left on the field after the Battle of Tewskesbury. Presumably, a lot of this armor came from men who fell in the battle.

Sadly, I can’t get the rights to the image. However, it is well worth a look. To see it, click here.