Tucked away between the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey is the Jewel Tower, a compact English Heritage site whose size does not reflect its significance.
Visit and explore three floors of displays tracing its history as a royal Tudor storeroom, a House of Lords record archive and then the National Weights and Measures Office. It was here in this small building that the value of weights and measures for Britain and its entire empire were determined.
You’ll also see digital reconstructions of Westminster Hall, St Stephen’s church and the Palace of Westminster as they were before the disastrous 1834 fire. Other treasures on show include the 11th-century Westminster Capitals and the Anglo-Saxon Palace of Westminster Sword.