space. Kent died in April 1748 before the old Horse Guards had been demolished; work on the new building commenced in 1750 under the direction of Kent's assistant, John Vardy and William Robinson from the Office of Works. The cost of the buildings was £65,000 and took nearly ten years to complete. The Household Cavalry moved into the northern wing of the uncompleted building in 1755; at that time, there was stabling for 62 horses compared to 17 today. Originally, the two wings were connected to the central block by single storey ranges; in 1803-5 a further two floors were added to these, giving the building its present appearance. Kent's decision to retain a Baroque clock tower on his new Palladian building resulted in a peculiar blend of styles, perhaps the cause of it being described by Charles Knight as "the ugliest building in the metropolis". The building also served as the offices for the various administrative departments responsible to the Secretary at War, which would eventually become formalised as the War Office. Also located at Horse Guards was the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. Hence, for many decades the term 'Horse Guards' was used as a metonym for British Army headquarters. Two famous occupants of the office, a room originally intended for courts-martial, were Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (1795–1809), popularly believed to be "The Grand Old Duke of York", and the Duke of Wellington (1827–28 and 1842–1852). The final Commander-in-Chief at Horse Guards was Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, who was so reluctant to move to the new War Office building at Cumberland House in Pall Mall that he had to be ordered to vacate the building by Queen Victoria in 1858. Wellington's desk is preserved in the same room, which is now the office of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District. Horse Guards subsequently became the headquarters of two major Army commands: the London District and the Household Cavalry. At the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in June, members of the Royal Family who are not participants watch the parade from the windows of Wellington's office over the archway. Horse Guards Clock The clock is sited in the turret above the main archway; it has two faces, one facing Whitehall and the other, Horse Guards Parade, each dial being in diameter. It strikes the quarter-hours on two