guardhouse

thumb|right|Guardhouse (built in 1915) located on the Kiryu Campus of Japan's Gunma University thumb|right|Guardhouse, Royal Military College of Canada thumb|The Hyakunin Bansho (former guard house) inside the former Imperial Palace, Edo Castle) was staffed by 100 [[samurai.|left]] thumb|Guardhouses were constructed in graveyards in the 1800s to prevent Body snatching|bodysnatching.|left|279x279px thumb|Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic|East German border guardhouse in Berlin, 1984|221x221px A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have historically been dormitories for sentries or guards, and places where sentries not posted to sentry posts wait "on call," but are more recently staffed by a contracted security company. Some guardhouses also function as jails.

==Modern guardhouses== In 21st century commercial, industrial, institutional, governmental, or residential facilities, guardhouses are generally placed at the entrance as checkpoints for securing, monitoring and maintaining access control into the secured facility. In the case of small to mid-sized facilities, generally, the entire physical security envelope is controlled from the guardhouse.