There are several gorgeous buildings in London that obviously look important (or were important at one point) but you have no idea what they are. And that is doubly true of Whitehall. I am all for wandering down Whitehall and enjoying the architecture, but I do like to know what it is I’m looking at. Across from Banqueting House, there is a fairly impressive-looking building that always has a large crowd gathered outside of it. On my last trip, I finally had to do some investigation into what it is. So, without further adieu, let’s dive into the history of Horse Guards in Whitehall…
What Is Horse Guards?
Like Banqueting House, Horse Guards is a bit of an odd building name. It is descriptive but also feels grammatically odd. However, it does do exactly what you would expect- it houses the horse guards, or at least did. Charles II commissioned a building for the Horse Guards in 1663, to be built over a tiltyard at the Palace of Whitehall.
That building was falling apart by the mid-eighteenth century, though. George II commissioned William Kent to create a new building in the Palladian style, which is the building we now see today.
While Horse Guards did originally house the horse guard, it shifted to an administrative building by the late seventeenth century.
Why Do People Visit Horse Guards?
Horse Guards now serves as the offices for the Major-General Commanding the Household Division and the General Officer Commanding the London Division. You would not think that that would draw a small crowd, let alone a sizable crowd. However, there are always two horse guards posted on Whitehall, a striking image. (And I suspect that people think that a royal is around if the guards are posted…) If you have visited Banqueting House or are walking down Whitehall anyways, it is a well worth stopping by! And if you are interested, it also houses the Household Cavalry Museum.
Have you visited Horse Guards in Whitehall?
Cheers,
The Historian
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