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A political history of Britain in the places where it happened: parliament and palace, courts and counting houses, and the streets where people pushed back.
Edward III's strongroom, and later the place Parliament kept its own records.
Government & Parliament
Also in Museums and Monuments & Ruins.
Built in 1365-66 to hold the king's personal treasure, moated, set apart from the rest of the palace, and one of the few pieces of the medieval Palace of Westminster to come through the fire of 1834. Its second life is the better story. From the end of the sixteenth century the House of Lords stored its records here - the original Acts of Parliament, the only proof of what had been decided - and rebuilt the inside in 1621 to hold them, with a clerk's house alongside. After the fire the records moved to Victoria Tower, which was designed for the purpose. From 1869 the tower tested the nation's official weights and measures. It stands slightly stranded now, across the road from what grew away from it.
| Monday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 4 September 2026.
Submit a correction for this listing.
Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.