Horse Guards
Horse Guards is a large parade ground off Whitehall in Central London. It is the site of annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday. and also the Beating Retreat. Horse Guards was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tiltyard, where tournaments (including jousting) were held in the time of Henry VIII. It was also the scene of annual celebrations of the birthday of Queen Eizabeth I. The area has been used for a variety of reviews, parades and other ceremonies since the 17th century.
This virtual will lead you to the entrance to Horse Guards and this entrance remains the official entrance to St. James's :and Buckingham Palace. The building dates from the eighteenth century and was designed by William Kent, the then Chief Architect to George II. The gated entrance is flanked by two Household Cavalry who provide the mounted guard. This can either be "The Life Guards" who wear RED tunics or "Blues and Royals" who wear BLUE tunics.
The King's Life Guard who are posted outside from 10am to 4pm daily.
The Life Guard change takes place here at 11:00am daily and 10:00am on Sundays.
The adjacent Horse Guards building was once the Headquarters of the British Army, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was based in Horse Guards when he was Commander in Chief of the Forces. The current General officer commanding London District still occupies the same office and uses the same desk. Wellington also had living quarters within the building, which today are used as offices.
Now to the cache
Take a trip to the posted coordinates. Admire the mounted cavalry troopers of The King's Life Guard and use this time to take a photo of yourself with one of them. If you prefer, take a photo with your name on a piece of paper with the cavalry and horses in the photo. If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the parade, feel free to add any extra photos to your log.
Logs without a photo that does not meet at least one(1) of the two(2) requirements set above will be deleted without notice.
It is highly recommended that you do not get too close to the horses, as they are working animals and can either kick or bite if they feel stressed. Do not attempt to walk behind the horses or stand too close to their head and neck. Always listen to safety instructions if the Guard feels the need to give them.