House Hold Cavalry Museum

The Household Cavalry Museum
The Household Cavalry was formed in 1661 under the direct orders of the then sovereign King Charles 11. Today it consists of two senior regiments of the British Army- the Life Guards and the Blue and Royals. It has two roles: the first as a mounted regiment (on horse back), it guards Her Majesty the Queen on ceremonial occasions in London and across the United Kingdom. It is also a fundamental part of the Royal Pageantry. As well as having a ceremonial role it also has a very modern role acting as an operational regiment and has served all around the world in well equipped armoured fighting vehicles. At present the House Hold Cavalry has several units deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Household Cavalry Museum which has been opened for the first time to the public in July 2007 is well worth a visit, especially if you like to see what goes on behind the scenes prior to a royal parade and some of the other ceremonies. When I first went to the museum I had a fascinating insight into seeing how the troops at present work with horses from an 18th century stable designed to house them. As a visitor you can also get to talk to some real soldiers and hear of first hand accounts of the rigorous and demanding training that they have to go through. The good part about opening the museum to the public is that at various time of the day you will always see something ceremonial going on. For example you may see the horses being brought in from a ceremony or a parade, or being groomed or being fed and watered or their hooves being oiled, shoes being checked or saddles being adjusted ready to go guard duty. If this is not happening then it is still quite pleasant to see the stable building being cleaned or washed down.
In the Cavalry Museum it is an absolute pleasure to be able to view the outstanding collection of rare and unique items, each with its own compelling story to tell. Amongst the objects on display are the two silver kettle drums given to the regiment by William 1V;the pistol ball that wounded and of course Sefton’s bridle-the horse that was injured in the 1982 Hyde Park bombings.
As for the location the actual museum is situated within Horse Guards in Whitehall, central London – considered to be this city’s most historic building. Dating as far as back 1750 it is still the headquarters of the Household Cavalry. It still plays a central role in the Queen’s life – providing protection and security in a daily ceremony of the changing of the guard which has remained broadly unchanged for the last 350 years.