Old Palace Yard

St Margaret Street/Abingdon Street divides Old Palace Yard into two parts, running diagonally from the north-west to the south-east.

The eastern, larger part belongs to the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Access to this part of Old Palace Yard is restricted for security reasons by means of concrete barriers.

Conveyed from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage, the monarch passes through the Yard en route to the Sovereign's Entrance, at the foot of the Victoria Tower.

In 2002, an analemmatic sundial was fitted into the Yard's pavement in front of the statue, as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II from Parliament on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee.