A gem of a building in Westminster – English Heritage’s Jewel tower

One of English Heritage’s 420 national properties, the unassuming Jewel Tower is an architectural gem of a building, still standing in Westminster – 700 years after it was built. It is the last remaining building and located on the site, of the original Palace of Westminster dating back to the Norman Times of Edward the Confessor. It was constructed in 1365 during the reign of the Plantagenet’s for Edward III and his son and heir; The Black Prince, to reside in. Works were carried out under master mason Henry Yevell, a prolific designer and builder in the medieval period. It took a summer to complete at the princely sum of £18,000. Little about this curious building has been recorded, but through architectural forensics and archaeology; some of its stories and details have been unravelled. The Jewel Tower in Westminster, home to the Standards Department of the Board of Trade ‘Weights and Measures’ for many years In 1870 the Standards Department of the Board of Trade ‘Weights and Measures’ took up occupancy in the Jewel Tower - the home of the ‘pint’ The stone used for the Jewel Tower would have been brought by river from Kent and all carved on site. It is thought that it was built ‘free-style’ and not to plan. As the Tower is approached you notice what would have been an L-shaped moat, highlighting the importance of the building, yet it has a very plain façade, almost trying to detract attention. It was in here that the monarch’s precious jewels, plate and textiles were safeguarded. The Jewel Tower, built in 1365 as the residence for Edward III, an interesting building in Westminster with an L shaped moat  The Jewel Tower and L-Shaped Moat The interior is, by comparison, richly adorned with protective and ornate architectural details. The Chamber is where the King would have received visitors. The magnificent masonry in here has been carved to mimic a French military style tent, reminiscent of days Edward III served in the army. Sculpted bosses run the length of the vault ribs, some of grotesque heads and others of animals intertwined with foliage. The carved relief bosses along the rib vault in the Jewel Tower, Westminster Carved relief bosses along the vault ribs As you ascend the building, you may not notice two deliberate design irregularities. Unusually, the stone staircase rotates anticlockwise and in addition, the treads are uneven heights. This unnatural construction was such to hinder and prevent the ease of knights carrying out a siege. The uneven tread heights, made running up the stairs difficult and the rotation of the stairs was to make it difficult for a long sword to be drawn overhead.  As you enter the rooms on the upper floors, there is another architectural anomaly which is probably overlooked by a visitor; the windows are not the originals. In medieval times, when the Jewel Tower was built, windows were generally narrow gothic arches in design and made from French plate glass, which came in small pieces, set in a leaded frame. The glass would have been painted on site in the Kings colours, making interiors very dark. Dissecting the building even further; the adaptation of the windows is evident with a later edition of Portland Stone for cills and lintels, an uncommon material used in the middle ages. From its conception for Edward III, until the 1520s it was a Royal residence; little is known about its occupancy thereafter, until the end of the 16th century when it had been transferred to the ‘Clerk and Keeper of the Records of Parliament’. One of the rooms was the main storage facility for holding legally binding documents such as Civic Charters and Market Taxes. A very important area which needed protecting.  In 1717 after inspections of the Jewel Tower and the outcome of a meeting chaired by the eminent Sir Christopher Wren and the Board of Works, the building was alleged to be in a ruinous condition. Works were needed to be carried out to the windows, stairs, floors as well as enlarging capacity for record storage. A norman romanesque window in the Jewel Tower, Westminster London - English Heritage Norman-romanesque arched windows How do we know they are not the original windows? Today, the windows throughout are norman-romanesque in style, one atypical of the time the Jewel Tower was built. The panes of glass are sizeable, compared to the highly sought after French glazing which was much smaller. In addition, it is highly unlikely medieval glass would last more than 150 years - it was very porous and brittle. Perhaps a coincidence, but Sir Christopher Wren had not long completed the build of St Pauls Cathedral which used Portland Stone. It is thought that the stone used to enlarge the original windows of the Jewel Tower is made from waste/offcuts from the ‘new showpiece’ in the city. Additional fire proofing to the vault room can be seen, with iron shutters set into the window reveals. How do you tell if you have an original heritage window? - the Jewel Tower London Fast forward to 1834 and the majority of the ancient palace was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. Perhaps due to the prevailing wind, the Jewel Tower and Chapter House of the neighbouring Westminster Abbey survived. The Victorians went on to build the mighty gothic Palace of Westminster that superseded and still stands proud on the bank of the Thames today.  Now under the loving guardianship of English Heritage, the Jewel Tower has been granted a new lease of life, along with what is thought to be the remains of the resident cat; sharing its stories from centuries past and preserving our precious history for years to come.

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