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Horse Guards is a large grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall
Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I of England, which is often regarded as the heart of London....
 and Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade

Horse Guards Parade is a large Parade off Whitehall in central London, at British national grid reference system . It was formerly the site of the Whitehall Palace's tiltyard, where tournament s were held in the time of Henry VIII of England....
 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It was built between 1751-1753 by John Vardy to a design by William Kent
William Kent

William Kent was an eminent England architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century....
. The building was constructed on the site of the Guard House of the old Whitehall Palace, which had been destroyed by fire in 1698. The palace's tiltyard
Tiltyard

A tiltyard was an enclosed courtyard for jousting . Tiltyards were a common feature of late medieval castles and palaces. The Horse Guards Parade in London was formerly the tiltyard constructed by Henry VIII of England as an entertainment venue adjacent to Whitehall Palace; it was the site of the Accession Day tilts in the reigns of Elizab...
 became the exercise ground of Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade

Horse Guards Parade is a large Parade off Whitehall in central London, at British national grid reference system . It was formerly the site of the Whitehall Palace's tiltyard, where tournament s were held in the time of Henry VIII of England....
, located behind the Horse Guards building.

The building was the headquarters of the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
's general staff
General Staff

A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a Officer and subordinate military units....
 and served as the offices of the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the British Army until the post was abolished in 1904.






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Horse Guards is a large grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall
Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I of England, which is often regarded as the heart of London....
 and Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade

Horse Guards Parade is a large Parade off Whitehall in central London, at British national grid reference system . It was formerly the site of the Whitehall Palace's tiltyard, where tournament s were held in the time of Henry VIII of England....
 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It was built between 1751-1753 by John Vardy to a design by William Kent
William Kent

William Kent was an eminent England architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century....
. The building was constructed on the site of the Guard House of the old Whitehall Palace, which had been destroyed by fire in 1698. The palace's tiltyard
Tiltyard

A tiltyard was an enclosed courtyard for jousting . Tiltyards were a common feature of late medieval castles and palaces. The Horse Guards Parade in London was formerly the tiltyard constructed by Henry VIII of England as an entertainment venue adjacent to Whitehall Palace; it was the site of the Accession Day tilts in the reigns of Elizab...
 became the exercise ground of Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade

Horse Guards Parade is a large Parade off Whitehall in central London, at British national grid reference system . It was formerly the site of the Whitehall Palace's tiltyard, where tournament s were held in the time of Henry VIII of England....
, located behind the Horse Guards building.

The building was the headquarters of the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
's general staff
General Staff

A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a Officer and subordinate military units....
 and served as the offices of the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the British Army until the post was abolished in 1904. Horse Guards subsequently became the headquarters of two major Army commands: the London District
London District (British Army)

London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was formed in 1905 as an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so ever since....
 and the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry

The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth of Nations to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country?s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state....
. The building is the formal entrance to St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace

St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated on Pall Mall, London in London, just north of St. James's Park....
 via St. James's Park
St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 58 acre park in City of Westminster, central London, the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St....
 (though this is now entirely symbolic). Only the monarch is allowed to drive through its central archway, or those given a pass (formerly made of ivory
Ivory

File:Ivory decoration.jpgIvory is formed from dentine and constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal....
).

Horse Guards is always guarded by troopers of the Household Cavalry, both mounted and on foot; visiting the horses is popular with tourists. Two mounted cavalry troopers are posted outside daily from 10 am to 4 pm, and are relieved every hour. There are usually guided tours of the building on London Open House weekend, which takes place in September.