About The Guards Museum:
To help you understand the military groups here, the Household Division is made up of seven regiments. Five of which are Foot Guards and they are covered here at the Guards Museum. The other two regiments are Cavalry and they are dealt with at the Household Cavalry Museum nearby.
Address:
Wellington Barracks
Birdcage Walk
London
SW1E 6HQ
Nearest Tube Stations:
- St. James's Park
- Westminster
When is the Changing of the Guard?:
Telephone Number:
Fax Number
020 7414 3429Email:
Official Website:
Opening Times:
Last admission at 3.30pm
Admission:
- Visit this attraction for free with a London Pass
- Find out more about the London Pass.
- Buy the London Pass now.
Guards Museum Review:
Atmospheric sounds of military marching bands can be heard which helps to get you in the mood.
I spoke to the curator who was a wonderful guide and helped me to understand some of the military history in the Guards Museum. It can be called a royal collection as there are plenty of exhibits with royal connections. I saw a thank you letter the Queen had written when she was only 16 years old and when she visited the museum in the 1990s she saw the letter and remembered writing it!
Highlights
- Dress up in a guards tunic and bearskin cap and have your photo taken as a souvenir. For a small fee they print the photo and give you a certificate to take home. The tunics were altered to child sizes by a military tailor, who just happens to work at the museum, so are the real guards uniform. Where else can you do that?
- Admire the collection of orders and decorations (medals) which are worth £1.5 million.
- See the Victoria Cross (rare medals) collection worth £3 million.
- See the Duke of Wellington's uniform worn at the Battle of Waterloo.
- For those of you who know the nursery rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York", his bearskin cap in on display.
- Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace - The essential guide to this world famous ceremony by the people who make it happen.
- The Guards Museum - A Private Viewing - Follow the illustrious history of the five Foot Guard Regiments and hear the wonderful stories behind each exhibit.
