Having survived the fire that destroyed the Medieval Palace of Westminster in 1834, the Jewel Tower built in 1365 for King Edward III's valuable possessions holds an interesting little museum giving an insight into its various uses over the centuries.
Initially used to store King Edward III's collection of silver plates, it then went on to become a storehouse for general bits and bobs in the Tudor period. From 1600 it was where the offical documents from Parliament were stored, including the Acts of pA
In 1869 the tower was where the Boards of Trade Standards Department, determined the value of weight and measurements for Britain and its empire.
Only open at weekends (10am - 4pm) this nice and quiet museum is a really interesting and informative way to spend some time looking around. Look out for the Westminster Hall capitals which were probably made between 1097 and 1099 for the new hall built by King William II (Rufus. They were actually only discovered in 1835 during an restoration of Westminoster Hall and are believed to have been reused for a renovation of the Hall in the late 1300's.
