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Visiting Ministry of Defence Properties

Woodland track through Reinden Wood, KentWoodland track through Reinden Wood, Kent
The Ministry of Defence maintains 4,000 sites across the UK with more than 45,000 buildings on some 240,000 hectares of land. As well as military facilities, the Defence Estate includes 289 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), 48 special protection areas, over 650 statutorily protected buildings, almost 1300 scheduled monuments, and thousands of other archaeological sites.

Many of these locations, including the Ministry of Defence corporate headquarters in London, can be visited by members of the public. To find out more about how to access countryside areas owned by the MOD, such as firing ranges and training areas, please see the Defence Estates website "Access and Recreation" page.

Visiting Main Building

The corporate headquarters of the Ministry of Defence is Main Building on Whitehall, London. It is a Grade 1 listed building built in the neoclassical style between 1938 and 1959. Recently refurbished, it houses the Victoria Cross and George Cross Memorial and the historic Wine Cellar, one of the last surviving remnants of the Tudor Whitehall Palace. For more information about Main Building visit the MOD at 40 website.

Main Building, WhitehallMain Building, Whitehall
Members of the public can visit Main Building by prior appointment. Visits take the form of a presentation followed by a short guided tour. At present visits are available to groups only (a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 20 persons; children under 12 are not permitted). Please note that for security reasons all visitors to Main Building must provide full contact details and produce photographic evidence of identification. Forms of identification that will be accepted are passports, UK or international photo driving licences, and in the case of non-UK citizens, national ID cards.

Cameras and audio/video recording equipment are not allowed inside Main Building. Mobile phones must be switched off when requested.

There are no parking facilities for public visitors to Main Building. The nearest London Underground stations are Embankment and Westminster. Charing Cross and Waterloo main line stations are within walking distance. Please consult Transport Direct to identify other routes (our postcode is SW1A 2HB).

Potential visitors should be also aware that because of the nature of the MOD's work, tours might need to be cancelled at short notice. If circumstances allow, group organisers will be informed in advance if a tour has to be cancelled or postponed, but the MOD bears no responsibility in terms of travel or any other costs incurred by visitors.

Please register your interest in visiting Main Building using the Main Building Visit Application Form. Please note that applications for individual (i.e. non-group) visits cannot be accepted at present.

The tour is not available for children under 12. Schools interested in defence issues should consult the Defence Schools Presentation Team website.

Last Updated: 17 Jan 05