The Jewel House of 1868 in the upper Wakefield Tower (right) had its interior re-modelled by Anthony Salvin and the display was arranged by the Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co. Ltd.

The absolute value of all the gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and pearls in the royal collection is way beyond comprehension. Added to the fact that the crowns and other artefacts have all been worn and used by kings and queens of England makes one quick to realise that they, without question stand alone in their pricelessness. Although the world boasts some incredible treasures, suffice to say there is absolutely nothing that compares with the British Crown Jewels.

Perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions by visitors to the Tower of London is whether there have ever been attempts to steal this incredible collection of Royal treasures. Well, although it would be virtually impossible to orchestrate such a thing today there was a time long ago when security standards at the Tower were not exactly at their highest point. One man in particular who realised this very nearly made the unthinkable a reality, his name; Thomas Blood.