Across the road from Westminster Palace stands the nearly 700-year-old Jewel Tower. However, despite the name, you will not see any jewels here. Today this is a place where visitors are told about the history of Parliament and its building. And all the valuable treasures have been kept in the Tower of London for many centuries.
This tower was erected in 1365 as a storage place for the personal belongings of King Edward III. Sometimes this structure was even called the King's Private Wardrobe. But since the main part of the monarch's accumulated wealth consisted of precious stones, the name Jewel Tower stuck.
After the London fire in 1834, when almost the entire Westminster Palace was destroyed, the tower remained unharmed. Despite the fact that this structure was part of the fortress wall, it was located away from the Palace complex - in the corner of the royal garden and was protected by high walls and a moat.
Since then and to this day, Jewel Tower has been very well preserved and certainly deserves a visit, at least out of respect for and interest in the age of this structure.
