![The Royal Mews (geograph 2321013)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/The_Royal_Mews_%28geograph_2321013%29.jpg)
The Royal Mews is a
mews
A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...
, or collection of equestrian stables, of the
British Royal Family. In
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
, and then (since the 1820s) within the grounds of
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
.
The Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace includes an extensive display of royal carriages and other associated items, and is open to the public for much of the year. It is also a working part of the palace, where horses and people live and work, and where carriages and cars are in daily use supporting the work of the King as
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
.
At Charing Cross
![John Norden's Map of Westminster - Charing Cross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/John_Norden%27s_Map_of_Westminster_-_Charing_Cross.jpg)
The first set of stables to be referred to as a mews was at
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
at the western end of
The Strand. The royal hawks were kept at this site from 1377 and the name originates from the fact that they were confined there at
moulting
In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...
time ("mew" being derived from the French verb "muer", to moult).
The building was destroyed by fire in 1534 and rebuilt as a stables, keeping its former name when it acquired this new function. On old maps, such as the
"Woodcut" map of London of the early 1560s, the Mews can be seen extending back towards the site of today's
Leicester Square
Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...
.
![Royal Stables in the Mews, Charing Cross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Royal_Stables_in_the_Mews%2C_Charing_Cross._Etching_by_Cook%2C_1793.jpg)
It was rebuilt again in 1732 to the designs of
William Kent
William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, but ...
, and in the early 19th century it was open to the public. This building was usually known as the King's Mews, but was also sometimes referred to as the Royal Mews, the Royal Stables, or as the Queen's Mews when there was a woman on the throne.
On 15 June 1820, the Guards in the Royal Mews mutinied in support of
Caroline of Brunswick, whom King
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
was seeking to divorce.
Kent's redesign was an impressive classical building occupying the northern half of the site, with an open space in front of it that ranked among the few large ones in central London at a time when the
Royal Parks
The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...
were on the fringes of the city and most
squares in London were
garden square
A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...
s open only to the residents of their surrounding houses. The whole site was cleared in the late 1820s to create
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...
, laid out in 1837–1844 after delays, and the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
which opened in 1838.
At Buckingham Palace
![Royalmews](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Royalmews.500px.jpg)
The present Royal Mews is in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, to the south of
Buckingham Palace Gardens, near Grosvenor Place.
In the 1760s
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
moved some of his day-to-day horses and carriages to the grounds of
Buckingham House, which he had acquired in 1762 for his wife's use, but the main royal stables housing the ceremonial coaches and their horses remained at the King's Mews. However, when his son
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
had Buckingham Palace converted into the main royal residence in the 1820s the whole stables establishment was moved there. The current Royal Mews was built to designs by
John Nash and was completed in 1825 (although the Riding School, thought to be by
William Chambers, dates from the 1760s). The mews buildings have been modified extensively since.
As well as being a full-time working facility, the Royal Mews is regularly open to the public. The state coaches and other carriages are kept there, along with about 30 horses, together with their modern counterparts, the
state motor cars. Coachmen, grooms, chauffeurs and other staff are accommodated in flats above the carriage houses and stables.
Royal and State Carriages
A few of the carriages stored at the Mews are pictured here in action; several more are illustrated on their own pages (see listing below).
Vehicles in the care of the Royal Mews are listed below. A good number are on public display though not all are kept in London. Most are in regular use, and some (for example, the Broughams) are driven on a daily basis. Others (above all the Gold Coach) are only used on great and rare State occasions. The list includes vehicles for personal, recreational and sporting use, as well as those designed and kept for State occasions:
![Hyde Park Corner Carriage-1983](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Hyde_Park_Corner_Carriage-1983.jpg)
* The
Gold State Coach
* The
Irish State Coach
The Irish State Coach is an enclosed, four-horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family. It is the traditional horse-drawn coach in which the British monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to formally open ...
* The
Scottish State Coach
* The
Australian State Coach
The Australian State Coach is an enclosed, six horse-drawn coach used by the British Royal Family. The coach was presented to Queen Elizabeth II of Australia and the United Kingdom as the official gift on the occasion of the Australian Bice ...
* The
Diamond Jubilee State Coach
*
Queen Alexandra's State Coach
Queen Alexandra's State Coach is one of several State Carriages maintained at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace. It was built around the year 1865, initially as a plain 'town coach'. Some 30 years later it was glazed and converted into a State C ...
* The
Glass Coach
*
King Edward VII's Town Coach
King Edward VII's Town Coach is a carriage of the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace. Not being a State Coach, it is much plainer than some of the other carriages kept at the Mews.
Formerly there were several similar Town Coaches in use, each with m ...
* Several
Landau carriages including:
** The
1902 State Landau
The United Kingdom's 1902 State Landau is a horse-drawn carriage with a flexible leather roof which drops in two exact halves, back and front.
It is a postilion landau, drawn by six horses under the control of three postilions, with no pr ...
** Seven other
State Landaus
** Five Semi-state Landaus
** Five Ascot Landaus
*
Barouches and
Sociables
*
Broughams and
Clarences
*
Phaetons and
Victorias
Victorias, officially the City of Victorias ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Victorias; fil, Lungsod ng Victorias), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,101 ...
* Sporting carriages, including a rare
Curricle
* Recreational vehicles, such as the Louis-Philippe
Charabanc
A charabanc or "char-à-banc" (often pronounced "sharra-bang" in colloquial British English) is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It has "ben ...
(illustrated)
* A variety of pony carriages,
drags and exercise vehicles
In less regular use is
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
's State Sledge, one of a number of royal
sleighs in the Mews.
Also on display are some of the historic and immaculately kept liveries and harnesses (which likewise see regular use), ranging from the plainer items used for exercising and working horses, to the richly ornamented State liveries and harnesses designed for use with the similarly appointed State coaches.
Carriage horses
The horses in the Royal Mews today are for the most part either
Windsor Grey
The term Windsor Grey is given to grey horses used by the Royalty of the United Kingdom to towing carriages in various ceremonial processions and, since 1986, when Elizabeth II was Trooping the Colour. They are stabled in the Royal Mews. Some hav ...
s or
Cleveland Bay
The Cleveland Bay is a breed of horse that originated in England during the 17th century, named after its colouring and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire. It is a well-muscled horse, with legs that are strong but short in relatio ...
s, though this has not always been the case (for example, for over 200 years locally bred
Hanoverian Cream horses took pride of place in the harness on major state occasions, until problems due to inbreeding led to their use being discontinued in the mid-1920s). The horses are regularly exercised in the art of pulling carriages (one of the reasons for the continuing use of horse-drawn transport for the daily messenger rounds); they are used for
competitive and recreational driving as well as for ceremonial duties. The
manure that is produced by the horses is used by the adjacent
garden at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace Garden is a large private park attached to the London residence of the monarch. It is situated to the rear (west) of Buckingham Palace, occupying a site in the City of Westminster and forms the largest private garden in the capi ...
.
State Cars
![Royal cars](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Royal_cars.JPG)
The maintenance and provision of modern motor vehicles is as much a part of the work of the Royal Mews as that of carriages and horses.
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
first established a garage in the Mews in the early 20th century; by 1920 his son
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
had converted two of the coach-houses to accommodate his State
Daimler
Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to:
People
* Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies
* Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler
* Paul Da ...
s.
The
official cars (as opposed to vehicles for staff or private use) are all painted in black over
claret (known as Royal Claret). They are driven, cared for and maintained by a number of chauffeurs, who are based in the Mews and work under the Head Chauffeur (who, along with his deputy, is primarily responsible for driving the King).
The five principal State Cars are without number plates. They comprise:
* Two
Bentley State Limousine
The Bentley State Limousines are official state cars manufactured by Bentley for the late Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. The two cars produced were in service for the Queen up until her death in 2022. They have ...
s (given to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
in 2002 to mark her
Golden Jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
).
* Two
Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousines: the 1978
Silver Jubilee Phantom VI and a 1986 Phantom VI, both nearly identical outwardly, save for the slightly higher roof on the 1978 example (see photo).
* A rare 1950
Rolls-Royce Phantom IV
The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a British automobile produced by Rolls-Royce. Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956. They were only built for buyers whom Rolls-Royce considered worthy of the distinction: the British royal family and heads ...
with body by
HJ Mulliner & Co., the first example of this model built; it was fitted with an automatic gearbox in 1955.
Former State Cars
During Queen Elizabeth II's reign the following vehicles also served as State Cars:
* A pair of
Rolls-Royce Phantom V
The Rolls-Royce Phantom V is a large four-door limousine produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from 1959 to 1968. Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shares a V8 engine and General Motors Hydra-Matic automatic gearbox with that model. Rolls-Royce as ...
limousines delivered to the Royal Mews in 1960 and 1961 (retired from the working fleet after the Bentleys were acquired in 2002).
* A 1954 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV landaulette with coachwork by
Hooper, purchased in 1959 (retired from the working fleet after the second Phantom VI was acquired in 1987).
* Four
Daimler DE
Daimler DE was a series of chassis made by the Daimler Company from 1946 until 1953. DE chassis were the basis for Daimler's largest and most expensive cars at the time. There were two versions: the short-wheelbase DE 27 with the Daimler Twenty-s ...
36 landaulettes, built as State Cars for
King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
in the late 1940s and inherited by the Queen when she came to the throne. (Of these, one was then given to
the Queen Mother to use, while the others remained as State Cars alongside the Phantom IV limousine; these were sold when the Phantom IV landaulette and the Phantom V limousines were acquired).
Other official vehicles
![2017 Royal Mews 012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/2017_Royal_Mews_012.jpg)
Limousines used for less formal occasions and as support vehicles:
* Two 2012
Jaguar XJ
The Jaguar XJ is a series of full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars (becoming Jaguar Land Rover in 2013) from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across five basic platform generations (debuting in 1968, 1986, 1 ...
limousines (number plates NGN 1 and NGN 2).
* Three c. 1992
Daimler DS420 limousines (number plates KLL1, K326EHV and F728OUL).
*
State Hearse
The state hearse is a vehicle of the Royal Mews used for funerals of the British royal family. Thought to be based on a Jaguar XF or XJ model, it was designed by the Royal Household and Jaguar Land Rover with the input of and approval from Eliza ...
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
s,
luggage brakes and
people carrier
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
s are also kept at the Royal Mews. A number of electric vehicles have been acquired since 2012, for various purposes, ranging from a
BMW i3
The BMW i3 is a B-segment, high-roof hatchback manufactured and marketed by BMW with an electric powertrain using rear-wheel drive via a single-speed transmission and an underfloor Lithium-ion battery, lithium-ion battery pack and an optional R ...
and a
BMW 7 Series
The BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker BMW since 1977. It is the successor to the BMW E3 "New Six" sedan and is now in its seventh generation.
The 7 Series is BMW's flagship car and is on ...
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
to a
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
van and a
Renault Twizy.
Official oversight
The care and training of so many horses, the ongoing care and maintenance of the carriages, cars and
tack
TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic the ...
, along with the actual use of these royal vehicles, means that the Mews is very much a working part of the Palace. The Royal Mews Department is overseen by an official called the
Crown Equerry
The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...
.
Other locations
![The Royal Mews at the bottom of St Alban's Street - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/The_Royal_Mews_at_the_bottom_of_St_Alban%27s_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1168738.jpg)
The Royal Mews,
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...
overlooks Hampton Court Green. It continues to provide accommodation for royal staff, and horses are stabled there from time to time. It is not open to the public.
There is a working Royal Mews at
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
where the Ascot carriages are normally kept, together with vehicles used in
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many ...
. Some horses for riding (rather than driving) are also stabled here.
At
Holyrood, the Royal Mews (situated in Abbey Strand) is one of the oldest parts of the Palace, and is still pressed into service whenever royal carriages are used in Edinburgh.
Historically, the old stables of
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...
, which stood where
Lancaster House is now, were also sometime referred to as the Royal Mews.
See also
*
Japan state carriages
*
Royal Stables (Denmark)
The Royal Stables ( da, De Kongelige Stalde) is the mews (i.e., combined stables and carriage house) of the Danish Monarchy which provides the ceremonial transport for the Danish Royal Family during state events and festive occasions. The Royal S ...
*
Royal Stables (Sweden)
References
External links
*
Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, London.The Monarchy Today > Ceremony and symbol > Transport > Carriages.
{{Coord, 51.49873170, -0.14362900, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB-LND_source:wikidata, display=title
Buckingham Palace
Carriage museums in England
Equestrian museums in the United Kingdom
Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Grade I listed museum buildings
Grade I listed stables
John Nash buildings
Mews streets in London
Museums in the City of Westminster
Regency architecture in the United Kingdom
Regency London
Royal buildings in London
Transport museums in London