Jewel Tower

The Jewel Tower on Abingdon Street is, beside Westminster Hall, the only remnant of the medieval Palace of Westminster and was built around 1365 under Edward III. It was conceived as a royal treasure house and store for the king's personal clothing and jewels, earning it the unofficial name King's Privy Wardrobe. The three-storey stone tower sits within a narrow moat that once enclosed a royal garden; traces of the layout are still visible in the ground. From the 17th century it stored the records of the House of Lords and later served as a standards office for weights and measures. English Heritage now looks after the building and runs an exhibition on the history of Parliament. Excavated foundations of the former court lie open in front of the entrance.