Royal Mews

The history of the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace begins shortly after George III’s acquisition of Buckingham House in 1762. He almost immediately built a substantial Riding School behind the residence, but kept the royal stables and coach houses near Charing Cross. Following a fire and the general dilapidation of those stables, his son, George IV, commissioned the architect, John Nash, who was already extending Buckingham House into a palace, to build a quadrangle of stables, coach houses and staff accommodation. Every monarch from George IV to Queen Elizabeth II has used the Riding School to practise riding for ceremonial occasions.

Horses were joined by cars in the early twentieth century and today the Royal Mews continues to provide the road transport for the monarch, whether by horse, carriage or car.