The Crown Jewels were moved to the Tower of London after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey in 1303; most of the jewels were thought to have been recovered soon after. The jewels were then kept in the Tower under the care of a custodian and visitors could pay to view the jewels until 1671 when Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal them.

At this time, the jewels were moved to the first Jewel House and were kept under the armed watch of the Yeoman Warders (pictured), popularly known as the Beefeaters.

Oliver Cromwell proved to be the most dangerous threat to the Crown Jewels, however; he ordered them to be melted down for coinage in 1649 and everything except for three swords and a spoon were destroyed. After the Restoration in 1660, most of the lost treasures were remade.

Over time, the number of visitors to the Crown Jewels grew and grew so in 1967, a new Jewel House was built to accommodate the nearly one million visitors who came each year to see the jewels.

This building proved to be too small to accommodate the crowds, so another was built in the 1990s that would hold over 1,000 people, and could handle crowds of up to 2,500 people per hour. It uses a moving pavement system to keep the crowds moving through the exhibit.

Some of the best known items in the collection include the St Edward’s Crown which was made in 1661, the Imperial State Crown that was made for King George VI in 1937, the Imperial Crown of India that was created when King George V visited India as Emperor, and the Crown of Mary of Modena that is traditionally worn by the Queen consort and contains the famed Koh-i-Noor diamond.

The Tower of London Crown Jewels are a fantastic collection of royal treasures.

Tower Of London

Address: Tower Hill, City, EC3N 4AB

Telephone: 0871 602 1100

Opening Times

Tuesday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm, Sunday & Monday 10am-5.30pm (last adm 5pm)

Pricing

Door price: £18.70 (Adults), £15.95 (Concessions), £10.45 (Children Under 16), £51.70 (Family)

Photo courtesy: DavidDennisPhotos.com

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