Events
Barracks, Bombs, and Buckingham Palace: Heritage Open Days Festival
Dates: 13 September 2025 — 14 September 2025
Join us for a weekend filled with free family fun in the heart of central London – part of England’s largest festival of history & culture!
- Live vintage music from Lancashire Belle
- Handle objects from the collection
- Attend one of our exclusive talks by authors Jan Gore, Vic Keegan, and Senior Chaplain The Reverend A. Bennett CF
- Try on genuine soldier’s uniforms
- Immerse yourself in 380 years of history
- Learn more about London’s most iconic buildings
Schedule
The Guards Museum is bringing history out from its cases and into your hands in a weekend you don’t want to miss! Better yet, it’s FREE!
We are celebrating our third annual Heritage Open Days festival! On the 13th and 14th September, we are opening our doors to the community, inviting you to explore all things heritage and history.
Highlights of your weekend will include testing your skills with the Quick Reactions and Pull Up Bar challenges, testing your aim with the Army Cadets, and the chance to immerse yourself in heritage – whether its handling objects from our collection, or stepping into the King’s Guard iconic uniforms yourself – all to the sounds of live music from Lancashire Belle! Our experts will be giving free museum and chapel talks, including guest speakers Jan Gore and Vic Keegan.
For the animal lovers, there will be the chance to Hawk and Learn with Jess the Hawk, and even meet & greet with the Irish Guards mascot – Irish Wolfhound Seamus and Drummer Aldridge.
As for this year’s theme, we are lucky to be surrounded by some of London’s most exceptional architecture.
Each building has a story to tell, from the makers, to the menders, to the protectors. The museum sits on the site of Wellington Barracks, a Grade II listed building made in the 1800s, designed to give the Guards’ close proximity to Buckingham Palace in an emergency. It is here that the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony begins, as the soldiers’ set off for their duties. Just next door is the stunning Guards’ Chapel with its own story to tell, having been destroyed by V-1 flying bomb in the Second World War and rebuilt in the legacy of this tragedy.
We invite you to come along and uncover the secrets behind these structures, and of course dig deeper into the Guard’s internationally renowned role protecting some of the world’s most famous buildings – our Royal Palaces.
Book your tickets here or if you have any questions, contact us
What’s On
Book Talk: The Doodlebug Summer with Jan Gore
In this free and exclusive book talk, Jan Gore will explore the success of the V1 flying bomb campaign at the end of the Second World War.
Meet the Irish Guards Mascot
Meet Irish Wolfhound Seamus and Drummer Aldridge to find out about life in the Irish Guards – with Q&A and photo opportunity.
Lancashire Belle
Step back in time with Jane Francis as Lancashire Belle – an authentic and experienced 1940s singer and entertainer. Hear Jane perform on Saturday 13th September, with sets at 10:45-11:30 and 14:45-15:15, and Sunday 14th September, with sets from 13:30-14:00 and 15:30-16:15.
No pre-booking required.
Hawk & Learn
Meet Jess the Hawk! Drop in sessions from 11:00-13:00.
No pre-booking required.
The Guards Chapel Tour
The Guards Chapel was built in the 1830s and has served as the spiritual home of the Household Division ever since. The Reverend A Bennett CF, Senior Chaplain London District and Chaplain to the Household Division, will be exploring the character of the chapel today, its uses and features, as well as its heritage and legacy.
Book Talk: Lost London with Vic Keegan
In this free and exclusive book talk, Vic Keegan will explore some of Westminster’s forgotten history – the buildings and features that have been lost to time.
Northwood Morris Men
Enjoy a performance of the traditional English folk dance by the Northwood Morris Men – Sunday 14th September at 14:10 – 14:30.
No pre-booking required.