Jewel Tower

The Jewel Tower stands as a rare survivor of the medieval Palace of Westminster, which served as the primary home for English kings for centuries. King Edward the Third commissioned its construction in the thirteen sixties to act as a private treasury. He needed a secure place to store his personal valuables, including ceremonial plate, fine textiles, and gold, far from the public business of the law courts. Construction was a contentious affair. Master mason Henry Yevele directed the project, but he chose to build on land that belonged to the nearby Westminster Abbey. The monks of the Abbey were furious about this seizure of their territory. Their resentment was recorded in their own internal archives, where they famously noted that divine retribution eventually struck the man responsible for the land appropriation. To keep his treasures safe, the king ordered a massive moat to be dug around the structure. The tower was built with thick stone walls and had no windows on the ground level to prevent intruders from gaining access. The moat was fed by the River Thames, which also provided the royal kitchen with a convenient supply of fresh fish.