For the list of 2019 gun salutes, go here.

Something for your diaries – the list of Gun Salutes that will take place at the Tower of London has been released.

Due to the tight space they operate in, if you want to get close to them, you really need to arrive very early. I turned up once about 40 minutes before they went Boom, and ended up watching from Tower Bridge as I just couldn’t see them from anywhere closer.

Sadly, the pier next to the guns is also cleared, as that would be an awesome spot to photograph from (with ear plugs).

The guns are coincidentally aimed at the home of the London Mayor, but sadly — or fortunately, depending on your political persuasion — fire blanks for the ceremonial firings.

The firings are usually carried out by the Honourable Artillery Company.

The basic Royal salute is 21 rounds. In Hyde Park an extra 20 rounds are added because it is a Royal Park.

At the Tower of London 62 rounds are fired on Royal anniversaries (the basic 21, plus a further 20 because the Tower is a Royal Palace and Fortress, plus another 21 ‘for the City of London’) and 41 on other occasions.

Date Time Reason Salutes Mon 6th Feb 1pm HM Queen’s Accession to the throne 62 rounds Sat 21st April 1pm Birthday of HM Queen 62 rounds Wed 9th May Noon State Opening of Parliament 41 rounds Sat 2nd June 1pm HM Queen’s Coronation 62 rounds Sun 3rd June 3:45pm Diamond Jubilee River Pageant 62 rounds Mon 11th June Noon Birthday of HRH Duke of Edinburgh 62 rounds Sat 16th June 1pm Official Birthday of HM Queen 62 rounds Wed 14th Nov 1pm Birthday of HRH Prince of Wales 62 rounds

There are also salutes in Hyde Park and Green Park for several of those dates, although the full list is still to be confirmed. Those do tend to be easier to watch though.

Occasionally, HMS Belfast also fires some of its guns for testing. Famously, its forward six-inch guns of A and B Turrets are aimed at the London Gateway motorway service centre on the M1 motorway, some 12 miles away on the outskirts of London.