Type Barracks Opened 1833 In use 1833-Present | Phone +44 20 7414 3291 | |
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Similar The Guards Museum, Guards Chapel - Wellingto, Flanders Fields Memorial, Horse Guards Parade, St James's Park | ||
Marching back to wellington barracks
The Foot Guards battalions on public duties in London are located in barracks conveniently close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, three companies are based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace between Birdcage Walk and Petty France. Wellington Barracks is also home to all of the Foot Guards bands and all of the regimental headquarters.
Contents
Guards rehearsal at wellington barracks 05
History
Wellington Barracks were designed by Sir Francis Smith and Philip Hardwick and opened in 1833. The Guards Chapel was rebuilt in the 1960s after the original chapel was destroyed by a bomb in World War II. On 31 August 2007, Diana, Princess of Wales' two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, organised a memorial service in the chapel, marking the 10th anniversary of their mother's death. The Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards currently have a company based at the barracks.
Amenities
Wellington Barracks has many amenities open to those working and living within the barracks. There is a NAAFI Bar for the junior ranks, which has many games available including horse racing and snooker tables. The NAAFI shop with a self-serve restaurant, a masseur and corporals' mess are located here. There is a single serving personnel room with Internet access available, as well as an interactive learning facility open to all serving soldiers and their dependants. Elsewhere there is an officers' mess, sergeants' mess, and a gymnasium with squash courts. The Guards Museum houses a collection of uniforms, colours and artefacts spanning over three hundred years of history of the Foot Guards. The Flanders Fields Memorial Garden is situated in the barracks, adjacent to the Guard's chapel.