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Information about Horse Guards Parade

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Horse Guards Parade, with the London Eye observation wheel in the background.
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The Prospect of Whitehall from the Park of St James, by John Stow, published under licence dated 1755. Despite the title Horse Guards Parade is the focus of this picture. The Banqueting House can be seen just to the left of centre.
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The 2nd Footguards (Coldstream) on Parade at Horse Guards, by John Chapman, c. 1755
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London, at grid reference TQ299800. It was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tiltyard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII. It was also the scene of the annual celebrations of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth I.

The area has been used for a variety of reviews, parades and other ceremonies since the 17th century. It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat. For much of the late 20th century it was put to a rather less dignified purpose — as a car park for senior civil servants — but this use was ended in the 1990s.

The catalyst for the clearing of the parade ground was the Provisional IRA's mortar attack on 10 Downing Street on 7 February 1991, which was carried out from a vehicle parked near to Horse Guards Parade in Horse Guards Avenue. Not surprisingly, vehicles are now not allowed to park anywhere in the area.

Layout

The parade ground is open on the west side, where it faces Horse Guards Road and St. James's Park. It is flanked on the north by the Old Admiralty and the Admiralty Citadel, on the east by Horse Guards — formerly the headquarters of the British Army — and on the south by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the rear garden wall of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister. Access to this side of Horse Guards Parade is now restricted for security reasons.

Monuments

A number of military monuments and trophies ring the outside of the parade ground, including: In 2003 the Royal Naval Division Memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1925, was returned to its original site in Horse Guards Parade and rededicated on "Beaucourt Day" (13 November 2003).

The 2012 Olympics

Horse Guards Parade will host the beach volleyball competition of the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London. Temporary courts and seating will be installed, much as seating is installed annually for Trooping the Colour. There will be two courts with capacities of 12,000 and 5,000.



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parade outside Buckingham Palace]] A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted. The American usage is "formation." Now mostly ceremonial, soldiers from the time of Rome up until the late 19th century fought effectively in formation.
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Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I, which is often regarded as the heart of London.
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London
Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
London shown within England
Coordinates:
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
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The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude.

The Ordnance Survey (OS) devised the national grid reference system, and it is heavily used in their survey data,
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Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones's 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire.
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A tiltyard (or tilt yard or tilt-yard) was an enclosed courtyard for jousting (also known as "tilting"). Tiltyards were a common feature of late medieval castles and palaces.
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Tournament, or tourney (from Old French torneiement, tornei[1]) is the name popularly given to chivalrous competitions or mock fights of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (12th to 16th centuries). It is one of various types of hastiludes.
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Henry VIII
King of England, King of Ireland, Prince of Wales

Reign 22 April1509 – 28 January1547
Coronation 24 June 1509
Born 28 May 1491(1491--)
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Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, France (in name only), and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She is sometimes referred to as The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess
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As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th Century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700 in the Gregorian calendar.

The 17th Century falls into the Early Modern period of Europe and was characterized by the Baroque cultural movement and the beginning of
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Trooping the Colour is the commonly accepted name for the military parade properly known as "The Queen's/King's Birthday Parade". It is a military ceremony performed by regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army.
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Beating Retreat or Beating the Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to the 16th century and was originally used in order to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.
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twentieth century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000, according to the Gregorian calendar. Some historians consider the era from about 1914 to 1991 to be the Short Twentieth Century.
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civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. The term explicitly excludes the armed services, although civilian officials will work at "Defence Ministry" headquarters.
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Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

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For the band, see .

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Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the 'RA.
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mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.

A mortar is relatively simple and easy to operate.
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10 Downing Street is the residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government. It is situated on Downing Street in the City of Westminster in London, England.
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February 7 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1960s  1970s  1980s  - 1990s -  2000s  2010s  2020s
1988 1989 1990 - 1991 - 1992 1993 1994

Year 1991 (MCMXCI
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Horse Guards' Road (or just "Horse Guards") is a road in the City of Westminster, London. It runs south from The Mall, down to Birdcage Walk.

To the west of the road is St.
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Royal Parks of London

  • Bushy Park
  • Green Park
  • Greenwich Park
  • Hyde Park
  • Kensington Gardens
  • Regent's Park
  • Richmond Park
  • St. James's Park



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Naval Service

Components
Royal Navy
  • Surface Fleet
  • Fleet Air Arm
  • Submarine Service
  • Royal Navy Regulating Branch
  • Royal Naval Reserve
  • Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
Royal Marines
  • (includes Royal Marines Reserve)

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A number of military citadels are known to have been constructed underground in central London, dating mostly from the Second World War and the Cold War. Unlike traditional above-ground citadels, these sites are primarily secure centres for defence coordination.
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Horse Guards is a large grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England. It was built between 1751-1753 by John Vardy to a design by William Kent.
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The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with unification of the governments and armed forces of England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad.
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10 Downing Street is the residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government. It is situated on Downing Street in the City of Westminster in London, England.
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A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician.
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Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, KG , KP , GCB , OM , GCSI , GCMG , GCIE , ADC , PC (24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was an Anglo-Irish British Field Marshal, diplomat and statesman popularly referred to as Lord Kitchener.
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