John Harris' redesign of the wall displays at Windsor proved so successful that he was tasked with producing similar trophies of arms and armour at St James's Palace, Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London. 

Royal Apartments in the Tudor palaces tended to follow a standard layout, with the Guard Chamber always preceding the Presence Chamber, where the Sovereign gave audiences. This room therefore provided an opportunity to impress visitors with the power and order of the monarchy before they were received. Large displays of weaponry increasingly performed a dual role here as both aesthetic ornament and an indication of military might.

This Guard Chamber is one of only three rooms from the Tudor Royal Apartments at St James's which survived a fire in the nineteenth century. It is now known as the Armoury and still provides access to the State Apartments.