Introduction
A short distance across the road from the Houses of Parliament is a relic from an earlier age. It is the Jewel Tower, so named because it used to be used for storing treasure. It was built as part of the Palace of Westminster, when Westminster was a royal palace, lived in by kings, before they decamped up the road to Whitehall Palace, then St James’s Palace, and finally Buckingham Palace.
Historical Background
It was King Edward III who had the tower built in 1365 at the south-west corner of his palace. The most famous stonemason of the day, Henry Yevele, was engaged to oversee the build. The tower has thick stone walls, with small windows protected by metal grills. Initially it was surrounded by a moat, the better to protect its contents. The moat is long gone, but the sturdy walls remain to this day.
Edward III’s treasure consisted of fine dishes, wall-hangings and bedding, which were recorded and stored in chests by his clerks.
Royal Use and Later Contents
By the time of King Henry VIII, in the mid-16th century, the tower was used to store other random items such as a chess set and dolls belonging to a princess. By this time, following a fire at Westminster Palace in 1512, the court had moved to Whitehall Palace, but the Jewel Tower, having survived the fire, was still being used to store royal treasure… and royal bric-a-brac!
🎧Listen now: Episode 101. Henry VIII’s Navy
The Jewel Tower as a Parliamentary Archive
From 1580 to 1864 the Jewel Tower served an additional purpose, and that was to hold the official records of the House of Lords – Acts of Parliament, committee minutes, and petitions. That might sound rather dry and dusty, until you learn that these include: the death warrant of King Charles I, signed by 59 men including Oliver Cromwell, who went on to be Lord Protector during the brief period when England was a republic; the 1689 Bill of Rights, which set limits on the powers of a monarch and laid out the rights of Parliament, which is why we still have a monarchy co-existing with a parliament that exercises political power.
The records of the House of Commons were held elsewhere within the Palace of Westminster, and sadly most were lost in the 1834 fire which destroyed the old Palace of Westminster. The records that were once kept in the Jewel Tower are now held in the National Archives in Kew in South West London.
Department of Standards and Measurement
In 1869 the Jewel Tower was repurposed yet again, this time as the home of the government’s Department of Standards. This department was responsible for standardising the imperial system of measurement. Next time you order a pint in the pub, you have the former workers in the Jewel Tower to thank for ensuring you are being poured the correct size drink.
By the 1930s vibrations from traffic passing the Jewel Tower were adversely affecting the delicate equipment being used to calibrate measurements, and so the department moved out, bringing to an end over 600 years of government use.
A Jewel in Westminster
Now the Jewel Tower is in the hands of English Heritage and is open to the public from Wednesdays through to Sundays. Sadly no jewels or treasure are stored there these days, but the tower contains informative displays about its long and varied history. Ultimately the building itself is a jewel in the Westminster landscape.
If you are nearby joining our ‘Royal London walk’ or ‘Wonders of Whitehall walk” why not visit the Jewel Tower and see it for yourself?!
