London: British Cavalry Museum and Changing of the Guard

Last updated: 01/10/2019

For those who liked to see Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and has also seen the changing of the guard at Windsor Castle, there is one more option to discover in London. You can visit the British Cavalry Museum and Changing of the Guard! Check out the tips!

CHANGING THE BRITISH CAVALRY GUARD

The British Cavalry Guard, known as Queen's Life Guard, is made up of men from Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which consists of a squad called “The Life Guards” who wears red robes and helmets with white plumes; and another squad called “The Blues and Royals”, who wears blue robes and helmets with red plumes. these men guard the front of Buckingham Palace and St. James since restoration of the monarchy, in 1660, by the King Charles II.

They leave daily from the barracks located in Hyde Park and head to the Horse Guards for the changing of the guard ceremony. This one is less famous than Buckingham Palace and attracts a much smaller number of people. However, being in an open space, it is possible to see the movement of the guards more easily. The entire ceremony takes place with the guards mounted on their respective horses. The “Old Guard” is on the north side of the Horse Guards enclosure. Guards with trumpets announce that the “New Guard” is approaching through a real greeting. The two guards face each other in the enclosure and the “Old Guard” is dismissed.

The ceremony lasts about half an hour and the mounted knights change every hour during the colder days. At 4 pm, the disassembly ceremony, when the horses are collected to the royal stables. The tradition of the dismantling ceremony began in 1894, when the Queen Victoria once found the entire guard drinking and gambling on duty.. As punishment, she said they would be inspected every day at 4pm for the next 100 years! In 1994, the 100th anniversary was completed, but the cavalry continued to preserve the tradition.

Although the dismantling ceremony takes place at 4pm, two mounted knights guard the entrance to the venue until 8pm, when the Horse Guards gates are closed (they will not reopen until 7am the following day). Before going to the ceremony, confirm the times because there may be changes due to some celebration on that date.

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BRITISH CAVALRY MUSEUM

You can take advantage of the passage through Horse Guards to visit the British Cavalry Museum which is located right there. Once inside, buy the ticket and pick up your audio guide to tour the museum. You can choose the shorter option in the audio guide, with the main information about the place, or the extended version, whose visit is more detailed, but also takes longer.

This museum also pays tribute to the guards mounted on their impeccably maintained horses with swords and armor. But chivalry is more than that, it's about professional soldiers that serve in operations around the world in armored combat vehicles british government service. The museum offers an insight into the roles of these soldiers in ceremonial and operations, as well as various artifacts that hark back to their history.

The collection on display in the museum brings together ceremonial uniforms, awards, musical instruments, furniture, cutlery and various other historical items from battles fought in the past, such as Waterloo, in which the French Emperor Napoleon was defeated.

The Household Cavalry Museum is a living museum about real people doing real work in a real place. Through a large glass wall you can see soldiers working with horses in the original 18th century stables.

There are many reports of soldiers who participated in missions. There are currently two units deployed in active service in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to reports found at the museum, the idea is to combine fighting capacity with a strategic role in maintaining international peace and in humanitarian operations.

HOW TO GET

By subway use the following stations:

• Charing Cross: Bakerloo Line (brown) and Northern Line (black)
• Embankment: Bakerloo Line (brown), Northern Line (black), District Line (green) and circle line (Yellow)

ECONOMY IN LONDON: ACTIVITY CARDS

For those who want to do many things and visit many paid places in London, the suggestion is to purchase one of the cards that give you direct access to attractions and ride the tourist bus, saving a lot! O THE LONDON PASS is the most famous of them. The card can be purchased in versions of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 10 days. It entitles you to admission to over 60 of London's top attractions and 1 day tour on the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus. In addition, the card offers more than 20 exclusive special offers at some of the city's shops and restaurants. See the full list of included attractions in this link. Price: from £69.

Read more: What to do in London – Complete itinerary of 5 days or more

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

British Cavalry Changing of the Guard

• Address: Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX, UK
• Time: from monday to saturday at 11 am / sunday at 10 am / at 4 pm is the ceremony of dismounting the guard, when the horses return to the stables
• Entrance: free

The Household Cavalry Museum

• Address: Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX, UK
• Time: daily from April to October from 10 am to 6 pm / from November to March from 10 am to 5 pm / closed on July 20 and between December 24 and 26
• Entrance: £8 – includes audio guide (multiple languages, including Portuguese)

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Read more about England:

• London: Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
• Museum of London: History Museum of London
• Museum of London: History Museum of London
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites in London
• Tower Bridge Tour: London's Most Beautiful Bridge