Horse Guards Parade ground
Photo: ChrisO, GNU Free Documentation License
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground in central London. It was once the tiltyard of the Palace of Whitehall's tiltyard, where jousting tournaments were held during the time of King Henry VIII. It was also the site for the annual celebrations of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth I. The annual Trooping of the Colour ceremonies, held to commemorate a British monarch's official birthday, is held here since the 17th century.
For much of the late 20th century, however, it was put to a much less dignified purpose — as a car park for senior civil servants — but this came to an end in the 1990s. An IRA mortar attack on 7 February 1991 on 10 Downing Street put a stop to the ground being used for parking.
The Horse Guards Parade will host the beach volleyball competition during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
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