The barracks are 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) from Buckingham Palace, enabling the officers and soldiers of the Household Cavalry to be available to respond speedily to any emergency at the Palace, practice drills at Horse Guards Parade or beyond and conduct other more ceremonial duties.

Its first buildings were constructed for the Horse Guards in 1795, and a riding school and stables designed by Philip Hardwick were added in 1857.

[3] These were in turn demolished to make way for modernist buildings by Sir Basil Spence, completed in 1970.

[5] In April 2024, horses belonging to the barracks escaped, bolting after being spooked by construction noises.

[12] In 2015 the C20 charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage applied to have the building listed.

Their bid was endorsed by Historic England, but was rejected by Culture minister Tracey Crouch.