Former Dock Retaining Walls to Moat Around Jewel House is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 5 February 1970. A Medieval Quay retaining wall.

Former Dock Retaining Walls to Moat Around Jewel House

WRENN ID
tired-landing-crimson
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
Quay retaining wall
Address
Former Dock Retaining Walls to Moat Around Jewel House, Old Palace Yard Sw1, City of Westminster, SW1P 3JY
OS grid reference
TQ 301 793
Coordinates
51.49849, -0.12653
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The former dock retaining walls to the moat around the Jewel House are a Grade I listed structure located in Old Palace Yard, City of Westminster. These medieval walls predate the Jewel Tower and are made of ashlar-faced stone. They are the remnants of a dock that once served Westminster Palace, which were uncovered during excavations in 1963-64. The walls now form a moat that surrounds the Jewel Tower on the south, west, and north sides, contributing to the garden area around it.

Local climate

Former Dock Retaining Walls to Moat Around Jewel House 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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