Exploring England #38
London’s skyline is dominated by skyscrapers and towers; some are famous and are visited by thousands of tourists each year. At a height of 27 metres the White Tower, part of the Tower of London, was the tallest building in London at its completion in 1098. Standing at a far more impressive 306 metres and completed in 2012, The Shard is the tallest building in the UK.
Another tower, less well-known but claiming an equally significant place in English history, is the Jewel Tower, located behind the Houses of Parliament. Dating from the 14th century, the tower is one of only two buildings to have survived the 1834 fire which destroyed the Palace of Westminster.
Built in 1365 on the orders of Edward III, the tower was originally known as the ‘King’s Privy Wardrobe’. It housed his personal collection of jewels, silverware and luxurious wall-hangings. To protect the king’s belongings, the ground floor had no windows and 18 locks were placed on the doors. A moat surrounding the tower, filled by water from the River Thames, added extra protection.
The tower later became known as the Jewel Tower because of a misconception that, in medieval times, it had housed the Crown Jewels. From 1580 to 1864, it was used as a storage facility for the official parliamentary records of the House of Lords. Documents including Acts of Parliament and the death warrant of King Charles I were filed by the Parliamentary Clerk, who lived in a small house next door.
Occupancy of the tower changed again in 1869 when the newly-created Standard Weights and Measures Department took up residency. With its thick stone walls, the tower was the perfect place for testing delicate instruments and creating standardised units of weight and measure. It was here the imperial system of measurement was developed. The Department continued its important work until 1938, when it was found that vibrations caused by an increase in passing traffic affected the precision of the instruments.
In 1987, UNESCO declared the Jewel Tower and its surrounding land a World Heritage Site. It is also protected as an Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building. Today, English Heritage has custody of the tower, which is open to the public every day. Exhibitions on all three floors showcase the different roles the Jewel Tower has played over the years, with replicas of King Edward’s silver plate, copies of historical documents and 19th century measuring instruments on display.
The Jewel Tower may not be imposing or beautiful, but it’s worth spending a couple of hours learning more about this unique building and its fascinating contents.
Interesting! I’ve never heard of this tower before.
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We hadn’t either but went to see it because we had passes. It was a fascinating visit.
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Thank you for the tour because I didn’t see it when visiting, and I’m not sure I’ll make it back. 🙂 It truly is a beautiful country full of rich history.
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Judy, I reckon you could live in London for a year and still not see everything. It’s such a vibrant and exciting city. We love it.
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Amazing that a 27 meter high tower was the highest in London once. Were the ravens and beefeaters around?
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You’re thinking of the Tower of London, where there is also a Jewel Tower in which the Crown Jewels are kept. This tower is on the street behind the Houses of Parliament. It’s tucked in between Westminster Abbey and the Parliament buildings. We enjoyed exploring the area – so many interesting buildings.
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It’s great you had time to explore the lesser known places in London, Carol. Interesting that the vibrations of traffic affected the precision of the weights and measures instruments. 🙂
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This time we only stayed in London for the last three days of our trip but we made the most of the time.
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Never heard of this one either! You do find some gems 🙂
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I have to confess we only went because we had English Heritage passes which made it free to enter. But it was so interesting we were pleased we made the effort. And that whole area is fascinating to wander around.
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Always a good idea to get the most out of a membership card 🙂
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So interesting! I too have not heard of this tower previously.
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I suppose it’s not that important in the overall scheme of things, but it has such an interesting history. We were glad we visited.
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Very interesting indeed, Carol. I love the photo taken through the window. 🙂
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Thank you Sylvia. This tower is in such an interesting part of the city.
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I wish I’d known about this when I was wandering around the area last October. So interesting.
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Hopefully you’ll go again and you can visit then. 🙂
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How fascinating that the metric standard was developed here!
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Not metric, Lorraine. The imperial system is inches and yards etc. But so interesting that it was all created in this building.
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What an interesting past it’s had, Carol. 🙂 🙂 Not much point in having all those goodies if you have to keep them so well locked up though.
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The things Edward kept there were his own personal belongings, not belonging to the crown. I guess he wanted to make sure they didn’t get mixed up and disappear. I wonder if he popped in every now and then to play with all his precious bits and pieces. 🙂
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I suppose he’d have to 🙂 🙂
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So wonderful. Thank you for bringing me some wonderful history and photos. I don’t ever think I will get there, so thank you for sharing.
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I’m pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you. One of the joys of blogging is reading about new places. 🙂
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I do love reading your posts. Terrible but I never knew about the Jewel Tower and I probably walked nearby on numerous occasions!
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Thanks, Ting. Like a few other places we went to, the tower wasn’t well signed so if you didn’t know about it you wouldn’t look for it. It was worth making the effort to find it.
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So very interesting Carol. So much history, so many new places to discover.
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Thank you Miriam. We still have so much to see in London.
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I’ve learned so much for this tower from your post! Excellent read. Is there an entrance fee?
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Thank you. We had an English Heritage so entry was free. Otherwise, it costs 5 pounds.
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Thanks for the lovely tour! Cool photos too! x
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Glad you enjoyed it Sophie.
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