Seat of power · England · Still standing

Horse Guards

Horse Guards is an 18th-century government and military building in the City of Westminster that forms the ceremonial entrance between Whitehall and St James's Park. It served as the headquarters of the British Army and the Household Cavalry and today houses the Household Cavalry Museum while remaining in military use.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1805

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1805

What Horse Guards looked like in its prime.

A wide, symmetrical ashlar stone Palladian façade of three storeys centred on a large arched gateway beneath a domed clock turret and cupola; long low wings with repeating tall sash windows stretch either side to pedimented end pavilions. Pale, even-toned stone faces onto a broad sandy parade ground; low greenish roofs top the pavilion blocks and a two-faced public clock sits above the main arch. The building presents a formal, ordered frontage to Whitehall and the parade.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1805.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Horse Guards — including 2 interiors: wellington's office (over the archway), 18th-century working stables (household cavalry). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Whitehall approach across the paradeMain archway / passage through to St James's ParkHorse Guards clock turret (above the arch)Wellington's office (over the archway)18th-century working stables (Household Cavalry)Sentry boxes on the Whitehall frontageInner courtyard and northern wing entranceView from St James's Park toward Horse Guards

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