The Citadel is a Grade II listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 December 1987. Bunker-fortress. 3 related planning applications.

The Citadel

WRENN ID
noble-gutter-root
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Westminster
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
1 December 1987
Type
Bunker-fortress
Address
The Citadel, Horseguards Parade Sw1, City of Westminster
OS grid reference
TQ 299 801
Coordinates
51.50574, -0.12951
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Citadel is a bunker-fortress and air raid shelter built in 1939, designed by the Ministry of Works with consultant W.A. Forsyth. It is constructed from reinforced concrete and features a facing of concrete with pebble and flint aggregate. The building has a flat roof and presents a massive Cubist fortress appearance. It stands three stories high with slightly battered walls and includes a watch tower above the parapet at the corner with the Mall. There is a terrace at the second floor level, which is flanked by machine gun turrets. The Citadel is also associated with the New Government Offices and the Second World War Cabinet Rooms in Whitehall.

Local climate

The Citadel sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 3 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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