Whitehall to Horse Guards Parade...
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Cross the road and turn into Whitehall Place...
This was the original location for Scotland Yard - the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. The site is marked by the next blue plaque. ///tested.waving.claim​
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Continue along Whitehall Place until you see the Royal Tank Regiment memorial across the road on the corner of Whitehall Court...
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Turn into Whitehall Court and look across the road to view the next blue plaque at number 2...
Sir Mansfield Cumming was the basis for the fictional head of the Secret Intelligence Service, named Control, in the espionage novel The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré. In the movie version of le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Control signs his name as 'C' using green ink, as Cumming did in real life. He was also the basis for the fictional head of SIS in the original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming. Fleming chose to name his chief 'M' from Cumming's first name, Mansfield. ///deals.rams.stack
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At the end of Whitehall Court turn right and walk back to Whitehall...
Across the road, you will see the imposing entrance to Horse Guards parade with at least two mounted troopers standing guard. Look upwards and note the clock marked in black with the time of King Charles I's execution.
The Horse Guards are the ceremonial unit of the Royal Household Cavalry. The building in which they are housed was built in the Palladian style between 1751 and 1753. It was once the headquarters of the British Army.
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You can divert here to cross the road and walk through into Horse Guards Parade… ///refuse.means.trick
This large open space was once Henry VIII’s leisure complex linked to the Palace of Whitehall. It had a tiltyard – an enclosed area for jousting tournaments – a bowling green and tennis courts. It was then used as an army parade ground. Today it is the practice ground for the Horse Guards and the site of the Trooping the Colour. The buildings flanking the parade – the Admiralty to the north, the gardens of Downing Street and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the south, and the Horse Guards building – are probably the finest large Georgian buildings in London. Note the trophy guns around the parade ground and the Admiralty Citadel in the northwest corner.
For information about the Household Cavalry Museum and to book tickets just click here...
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