Jewel Tower Westminster
Dating back to the 14th Century, Jewel Tower is the oldest part of the former Palace of Westminster built to house the personal treasure of King Edward III. Today this medieval tower houses an exhibition on the British Parliament that puts the neighbouring buildings of Westminster into context.
Given the difficulty of getting inside the Parliament buildings, you have to arrange through your embassy weeks in advance for the best chance, a trip to Jewel Tower and its exhibition on the history and workings of Parliament is a great way of understanding what goes on inside Westminster after you’ve gazed in awe at its stunning architecture. The British Parliament is the mother of Parliamentary democracy from which the US system of government was born.
The Parliament Past and Present exhibition is an interesting, informative, albeit stodgy history lesson tracing the history of Parliament. Starting from the middle ages with the signing of the Magna Carta binding the King to the laws of the land and assigning a portion of power to his nobles. It outlines the testing times of the reformation from Henry VIII right up to the violent climax of the Civil war between King Charles I and Parliamentary forces and illustrates events up until the present. It also explains some of the founding principles of Parliamentary democracy including the all important Declaration of Rights on which the American Bill of Rights was based.
Jewel Tower was once connected to the Palace of Westminster when it was a royal residence in the middle ages until a large portion of the Palace was destroyed by fire leaving the tower isolated. Since then it has been obscured by it’s more illustrious neighbours but nevertheless provides an example of how the architecture of Westminster has evolved from the austere Jewel Tower to the grandiose gothic exteriors of the Parliament buildings.
Tube Station: Westminster
This attraction is included in the Great British Heritage Pass.
