Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. It was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tilt-yard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII.
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 parade ground is open on the west side, where it faces St James's Park. It is flanked on the north by the Old Admiralty and the Admiralty Citadel, on the east by Horse Guards — the headquarters of the British Army — and on the south by the back 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.
A number of military monuments and trophies ring the outside of the parade ground, including statues of Field Marshals Kitchener, Roberts and Wolseley; a Turkish gun made in 1524 and captured in Egypt in 1801; and the Cádiz Memorial, a French mortar mounted on a cast-iron Chinese dragon which commemorates the lifting of the siege of Cádiz in Spain in 1812.
HorseGuards is named after the troops who have mounted the Queen's Life Guard on this spot since the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660.
HorseGuards remains the official entrance to St James's and Buckingham Palace and this is why The Queen's Life Guard is still mounted here.
As the New Guard arrives, each Guard carries the Standard and the Trumpeters of both Old and New Guards sound the Royal Salute on the arrival of the New Guard and on the departure of the Old Guard.
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 on the edge of HorseGuardsParade.
The parade ground is open on the west side, where it faces HorseGuards Road and St.
It is flanked on the north by the Old Admiralty and the Admiralty Citadel, on the east by HorseGuards — formerly the headquarters of the British Army — and on the south by HM Treasury and the back wall of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.
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