Royal Mews and
The Queen's Gallery

The Royal Mews, in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, is one of the finest working stables in the world and forms part of the the royal families road transportation.

The Queen’s Gallery which, displays over 400 works of art from the priceless Royal Collection, is situated next to Buckingham. Both The Royal Mews and The Queen's Gallery are open to the public.

Carrages on The Mall returing to The Royal Mews

THE ROYAL MEWS

Commissioned by George III in 1762 and used for Queen Elizabeth’s II coronation in 1953, the most famous carriage at the Royal Mews is the magnificent and imposing Gold State Coach.

As a working stable there can be up to 30 horses at the Royal Mews, a mix of British Cleveland Bays and Windsor Greys. By tradition, when the Queen is traveling in a carriage it will be pulled by a team of Windsor Greys. Please note that the horses are not always on view in the Mews due to their royal duties or when being exercised.

Although the main attractions are the stables and the historic horse-drawn carriages, there are many other forms of road transport on display including the Royal Sleighs and the State Limousines; Bentleys, Daimlers and a rare 1948 Rolls Royce Phantom IV.

Visitor entrance to The Royal Mews on Buckingham Palace Road

The word Mews originated in the 16th century when the Royal Family kept hawks on the site of their first working stables at Charing Cross. During their annual moulting the hawks were placed in cages, known as mew’s. Today, Trafalgar Square at the end of the Mall, now stands on the site of the original royal stables.

The present Royal Mews, built in 1825 by John Nash, was moved next to Buckingham Palace when the palace was converted into the main royal residence by George IV. Since that time, the stables have been modernised to cater for the changing forms of road transport.

The Queen's Gallery, next to Buckingham Palace

THE QUEEN'S GALLERY

The Queen’s Gallery, which is open to the public, displays over 400 works of art from the priceless Royal Collection. The gallery is situated next to the palace on Buckingham Palace Road.

The Royal Collection, which is owned by the Nation and held in trust by the reigning monarch, contains over 50,000 artefacts including paintings, drawings, photographs, tapestries, furniture and ceramics.

The Queen's Gallery exhibits items from the Royal Collection

In addition to this 'public' collection, the Queen has a private collection, some of which can be seen on tours of other Royal Palaces. Throughout the year The Queen's Gallery has special exhibitions of important paintings in the Royal Collection including masterpieces from Buckingham Palace.

Visitor Infomation

The Royal Mews and The Queen's Gallery are open throughout the year. Please note that, as part of a working Royal Palace, closures can happen at short notice.

Further information:

The Royal Mews

The Queen's Gallery