Most people are familiar with the annually held Trooping the Colour, the ceremony held in London on the British sovereign's official birthday. Fewer people, however, are aware of the history of the site on which this event takes place, known as Horse Guards.
Early History During the Tudor Dynasty
Horse Guards begins its exceptional history in the 16th century. The land upon which it sits – the official residence and lands of the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey -- was confiscated by Henry VIII (r. 1509–47). Between 1529 and 1533 he promptly demolished existing buildings and began construction of a new palace, Whitehall, and installed a palace tiltyard near where the Horse Guards buildings and parade are today. The future arrangement of these buildings and the parade ground that they bound would be directly affected by the layout of the palace by Henry. The ceremonial aspect of the site was established by Henry – it was here that he held and participated in tournaments, consisting of three events, the joust, the tourney, and barriers including a major event to celebrate the coronation of Anne Boleyn on May 30, 1533.
Henry's two successors Edward VI (r. 1547-58) and Mary I (r. 1553-58) did not use the Tiltyard very often although Mary did use it as an outdoor court of law further reinforcing the site's official royal presence. With the accession of Elizabeth I (r. 1558–1603) the Tiltyard was used for tournaments held to impress foreign dignitaries and establish England as a player on the international scene. It was during Elizabeth’s reign that annual spectacles were staged to celebrate the anniversaries of the monarch’s birthday and accession — a tradition that continues to this day.
The Establishment of Old Horse Guards During the Restoration
With the accession of the Stuarts, James I (r. 1603–25) and Charles I (r. 1625–49), the Tiltyard became less of a place for tournaments and more of a setting for dramatic entertainment called masques. These came to an end with the outbreak of Civil War in 1642. Upon the establishment of the Commonwealth (1649-60) under Oliver Cromwell the area of the future Horse Guards, including Whitehall Palace and the adjoining Scotland Yard, became increasingly the center of his militaristic rule. The accommodation for the military garrison, government and Cromwell’s own offices occupied the abandoned apartments of Whitehall. It is at this time that a permanent guardhouse was established in the Tiltyard for Cromwell’s guards.
Through the restoration of the monarchy shortly after the death of Cromwell in 1658, Charles II (r. 1660–85) raised troops of horse guards from the remnants left over from the Parliamentarian days. Other Royalist companies were reorganized and established at Horse Guards. These would eventually form the modern-day regiments of The Life Guards, The Blues and Royals, the Grenadier Guards, and the Coldstream Guards.
Many of the regulations initiated in the early years of the Restoration exist to this day, such as the locking of the Horse Guard gates every night at 10 pm to deny admittance to the park. Restriction was also placed on coaches going through Horse Guards arch. Only those of the sovereign and the royal family had use of this thoroughfare.
On January 6, 1698 Whitehall suffered fire with the result that only the Banqueting House survived. The adjacent Old Horse Guards endured largely because the highway (today’s major Whitehall thoroughfare) acted as a firebreak, but with the destruction of the Palace there was nothing left to guard. Soon after the fire William III (r. 1689–1702) removed the Court to St James’s Palace (to this day it is considered the formal residence of the sovereign) and established Horse Guards as the official entrance through St James's Park to the Court of St James.
New Horse Guards – A Link to the Past
By the reigns of Queen Anne (r. 1702–14) and George I (r. 1714–27) Horse Guards had begun to show signs of acute disrepair. Its rebuilding as New Horse Guards commenced in 1753 during the reign of George II (r. 1727–60). By its completion in 1760 it essentially acquired its existing appearance as the familiar backdrop to the ceremonial pomp that continues to serve as a reminder and testament to the remarkable history that took place here.
Source:
Harwood, Brian, Chivalry and Command: 500 Years of Horse Guards. London: Osprey Publishing, 2006
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