Qualla: Horse Guards Parade https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade en-us © 2026 Bendyline Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:40:14 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Horse Guards Parade https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade Horse Guards Parade: Introduction https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade/ Photo credit Gordon Griffiths, CC BY-SA 2.0. For much of the late 20th century, one of Britain's most historic open spaces was quietly used as a car park. About 500 senior civil servants held permits to park at Horse Guards Parade, a privilege known as the 'Great Perk.' They parked on ground where Henry VIII had once watched jousting tournaments, where Elizabeth I had celebrated birthdays, where Wellington had commanded an empire. The IRA's mortar attack on Downing Street in 1991, launched from a vehicle in nearby Horse Guards Avenue, finally prompted serious scrutiny of the arrangement. By the mid-1990s, public pressure had ended the practice. The parade ground was returned to its proper purpose.

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Image: Gordon Griffiths | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/gcpv-horse-guards-parade-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Horse Guards Parade: From Tiltyard to Parade Ground https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade/ Photo credit Man vyi, Public domain. The broad rectangular space behind Whitehall has been used for public spectacle since the days of the Palace of Whitehall, when it served as the tiltyard — a court for tournaments including jousting — during the reign of Henry VIII. Later, Queen Elizabeth I held birthday celebrat...

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Image: Man vyi | Public domain

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/gcpv-horse-guards-parade-from-tiltyard-to-parade-ground.mp3 0:06 2 full Horse Guards Parade: The Ring of Memory https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade/ Photo credit AnonymousUnknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0. Walk the perimeter of the parade ground and you move through centuries of British military history. To the west, beside St James's Park, the Guards Memorial by sculptor Gilbert Ledward commemorates those who died at the First Battle of Ypres and other First World War engagements....

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Image: AnonymousUnknown author | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/gcpv-horse-guards-parade-the-ring-of-memory.mp3 0:06 3 full Horse Guards Parade: Trooping the Colour https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade/ Photo credit Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY-SA 3.0. Each June, Horse Guards Parade is transformed by the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which has marked the sovereign's official birthday since the 18th century. Around 1,400 soldiers take part. In the weeks before the main event, two dress rehearsals are held — the Major General's R...

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Image: Dirk Ingo Franke | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/gcpv-horse-guards-parade-trooping-the-colour.mp3 0:06 4 full Horse Guards Parade: An Unlikely Olympic Venue https://qualla.com/horse-guards-parade/ Photo credit Dom Crossley, CC BY 2.0. In the summer of 2012, something unexpected arrived at Horse Guards Parade: beach volleyball. For the London Olympics, temporary courts and seating designed by the firm Populous were installed, creating a venue with a capacity of 15,000 — two tiers deep, with floodlight towers at...

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Image: Dom Crossley | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/p/v/horse-guards-parade-wp/gcpv-horse-guards-parade-an-unlikely-olympic-venue.mp3 0:06 5 full