Whitehall Court / The Royal Horseguards Hotel (London)

 hotel, apartment building, 1884_construction, social club, Chateauesque (architecture)

The Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Guoman Hotels, is located in 1 & 2 Whitehall Court. The remainder (3 & 4 Whitehall Court) is where the Farmers Club, offices of various charitable or commercial organisations and its residential part is located. For many years during the 20th century 4 Whitehall Court was the location of the now-defunct United Sports Club, a private men's club.

Most of Whitehall was land given to the Royal Family of Scotland by the English Crown about 800 AD. It became known as Scotland Yard – the official residence of the Kings of Scotland in London.

Although not a victim of the Great Fire in 1666, Whitehall was destroyed by another fire in 1698 and private residences were built in the area, occupied through the years by some well-known historical figures – John Milton, Inigo Jones, Sir Christopher Wren and Sir John Van Brugh. Scotland Yard was also the home of the Metropolitan Police Force between 1829 and 1966, when the office was moved to New Scotland Yard at St. James’.

Whitehall Court, built in 1884 in the style of a French château, is now listed as a building of architectural interest. The exterior is original, although the interior has been considerably changed. When built, the block was divided into full serviced apartments of three or more bedrooms each. The ground floor housed numerous amenities, including a restaurant and a smoking room. Whitehall Court’s history is dotted with names of famous residents such as William Gladstone, Lord Kitchener, Grand Duke Michael of Russia, George Bernard Shaw, and many more.

During World War I, the eighth floor quarters in block two (now the hotel) were used by the Secret Service. During World War II, most of the building was taken over by Government departments; the fifth floor utilized by Russian Embassy, the sixth floor by the American Embassy, and the seventh floor by the Air Training Corps.

www.guoman.com/the-royal-horseguards