Jewel Tower -- Westminster, London, UK
N 51° 29.912 W 000° 07.561
30U E 699478 N 5709182
Interpretive sign at Jewel Tower explains the royal history of this fortress.
Waymark Code: WMT6KZ
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/04/2016
Views: 10
Jewel Tower, with its plain façade, almost blends into the landscape next to its ornately detailed and truly magnificent successor, the Palace of Westminster. However, intrepid way markers will find much here to learn, see, and appreciate. A trip to Jewel Tower is well worth your time.
Interpretive sign at Jewel Tower reads as follows:
THE JEWEL TOWER
The Jewel Tower was built for King Edward III and 1365-66 by Henry Yevele, “the deviser of the King’s works of masonry.” It formed part of the king’s palace and was designed as a private treasury.
The walls are mainly built of Kentish Ragstone from Maidstone. Other stone came from Reigate, Beer (Devon), and Caen (France), while timber for the roof came from Surrey. The windows were of highly decorative glass protected by iron grilles.
To give the lower Tower better protection (and provide fish for the king’s table), it was surrounded by a moat. This was constructed in July 13 66 and took 23 navvies 10 days to dig. The water came from a ditch leading directly into the River Thames.
From 1621 the jewel Tower was used for the storage of parliamentary records and by the end of the century it is likely that the ditch and the moat had been partially filled in. In 1869 it became the centre for the Board Of Trade’s Standards Department, which tested standards of weight and measure.
English Heritage"
Type of Historic Marker: Interpretive sign
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: English heritage
Age/Event Date: 01/01/1365
Related Website: [Web Link]
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