Jewel Tower

Visited on Weekday Wait time No wait Reservation recommended Not sure More
Apr 15th, 2023

At the end of the 16th century the House of Lords began to use the tower to store its parliamentary records, building a house alongside it for the use of the parliamentary clerk, and extensive improvements followed in 1621. The tower continued as the Lords' records office through the 18th century and several renovations were carried out to improve its fire-proofing and comfort, creating the present appearance of the tower. It was one of only four buildings to survive the burning of Parliament in 1834, after which the records were moved to the Victoria Tower, built for the purpose of storing archives, and part of the new neo-Gothic Palace of Westminster. In 1869 the Jewel Tower was taken over by the newly formed Standard Weights and Measures Department, which used it for storing and testing official weights and measures. The tower became less and less suitable for this work as passing vehicular traffic increased, and by 1938 the department had given up on it in favor of other facilities. In 1948 the building was placed into the care of the Ministry of Works, which repaired the damage inflicted to the tower during the Second World War and restored the building extensively, clearing the surrounding area and opening the tower to tourists. Today the Jewel Tower is managed by English Heritage and receives about 30,000 visitors annually. History Edit 14th16th centuries Edit Purpose Edit The vaulted ceiling on the ground floor The Jewel Tower was built within the Palace of Westminster between 1365 and 1366, on the instructions of King Edward III, to hold his personal treasure.[1] Edward had broadly three types of treasure: his ceremonial regalia, which was usually kept at the Tower of London or held by the Abbot of Westminster; the jewellery and plate belonging to the Crown, which was kept by the Royal Treasurer at Westminster Abbey; and his personal collection of jewels and plate.[2] English monarchs during this period used their personal jewels and plate as a substitute for cash, drawing on them to fund their military campaigns, or giving them as symbolic political gifts.[3] Edward accumulated what historian Jenny Stratford has described as a "vast store of jewels and plate", and his collection of personal treasure was at its greatest during the 1360s.[4] Edward had managed this last category of personal treasure through an organisation called the Privy Wardrobe.[5] The Keeper of the Privy Wardrobe was responsible for guarding and recording the king's belongings, and dispatching particular items around the kingdom, potentially giving them as gifts to the monarch's family and friends.[6] The Privy Wardrobe was initially based in the Tower of London in Edward's reign and became focused on handling the supplies for his campaigns in France.[5] This probably encouraged the King to decide to build a new tower in Westminster to host a separate branch of the Privy Wardrobe specifically to manage his personal jewels and plate.[5] In practice, this branch also managed the clothes, vestments and similar goods belonging to the royal household effectively, the non-military parts of the King's property.[7]
May 1st, 2023

Unfortunately the crown jewels are no longer here and moved to the tower of London but it's still a nice little place to learn about the history of the Royal family and the past buildings around here.
Apr 30th, 2023

Visited on Weekend Wait time No wait More
Apr 28th, 2023

a small place can walk around in 10 mins
Apr 17th, 2023