The Jewel House (Or Tower) of the Palace of Westminster is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 5 February 1970. A 1364-66 Royal treasure house, tower.
The Jewel House (Or Tower) of the Palace of Westminster
- WRENN ID
- wild-tower-dawn
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Westminster
- Constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 5 February 1970
- Type
- Royal treasure house, tower
- Address
- The Jewel House (Or Tower) of the Palace of Westminster, Old Palace Yard Sw1, City of Westminster, SW1P 3JY
- OS grid reference
- TQ 301 793
- Coordinates
- 51.49845, -0.12642
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Jewel House, also known as the Tower of the Palace of Westminster, is a Grade I listed building located in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. It was constructed between 1364 and 1366 by Henry Yevele and serves as a royal treasure house, situated at the southwest corner of the former Privy Palace. The building is primarily made of stone rubble with windows dressed in Portland stone. It is designed in an L shape with a polygonal stair turret on the north side and consists of three storeys. The entrance is located in the re-entrant angle, and the round arched windows are styled in the manner of Hugh May or Vanbrugh. Inside, the basement features tierceron vaults similar to those found in the former Cellarer's Building at No. 20 Dean's Yard, Broad Sanctuary. The first floor contains a 17th-century brick vaulted strong room with an iron door dated 1621.
Local climate
The Jewel House (Or Tower) of the Palace of Westminster sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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