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A political history of Britain in the places where it happened: parliament and palace, courts and counting houses, and the streets where people pushed back.
A street of ministries standing on the ruins of the largest palace in Europe.
Government & ParliamentFree to enter
Also in Royal London.
Henry VIII expanded Whitehall Palace until it filled most of the ground between today's Trafalgar Square and Parliament. It burned in 1698 and was never rebuilt, but the offices of state stayed close to where the court had been and turned a palace quarter into an administrative one, which is why 'Whitehall' now means the civil service rather than a road. Horse Guards, finished in the 1750s, keeps the older geometry: it is still the formal gateway between Whitehall and St James's Park, and it was the headquarters of the Army's commander-in-chief. The mounted King's Life Guard on duty is not decoration added later but the surviving overlap of monarchy, army and government on one street.
King's Life Guard changes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00; inspection at 16:00 daily
The two mounted sentries on Whitehall change on the hour from 10:00 to 16:00; the Household Cavalry Museum is alongside.
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.