LONDON.- A Royal sentry box from the second quarter of the 20th century will be a highlight at Bonhams two-day Gentleman’s Library Sale on January 28 and 29 in London’s Knightsbridge. The box, which was used by soldiers standing guard outside Buckingham Palace for shelter during periods of heavy rain, is estimated at £5,000-7,000.

Fashioned in a typical architectural form, the sentry box’s elongated arched recess is topped with a triangular pediment and flanked by panelled pilasters. The box measures 89cm wide x 108cm deep x 282cm high. The exterior is painted in navy blue and decorated with parcel gilt; the interior is painted white.

The offered lot is sure to be of royal and military interest. It is one of four Royal sentry boxes that were used by soldiers of the British Army’s Household Division stationed on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace. Once they had been replaced in 1992, two (possibly three) of the four boxes were saved by a Major Marsham and intended for use in the Royal Mews. The sentry box on offer, however, was given to Sir Blair Stewart-Wilson KCVO, upon personal request and also in recognition of his lifetime of service in the British Army along with his terms as both Equerry to HM The Queen and Deputy Master of the Royal Household.