Trafalgar Square, London

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the centre of London. It was created to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars in 1805. The square was originally intended to be called the King William VI Square, but architect George Ledwell Taylor suggested Trafalgar Square. The point where the Strand meets Whitehall was the original location of the Charing Cross. This is where the City of London meets the City of Westminster, and is accepted as the very heart of London. From here all distances are measured.

The architecture around Trafalgar Square dates two between 1820 and 1845. The Prince Region had engaged the imminent landscape architect John Nash to redevelop the area. The project became known as the Charing Cross Improvement Scheme. The architecture of the square was the work of Sir Charles Barry, and was completed in 1845.

Trafalgar Square consists of a big public area bordered by roads. Exploring it in clockwise fashion beginning from the north, we see the stairs that lead up to the National Gallery. To the east of the square is the St Martin-in-the-Fields Church. At little to the south of the St Martin's church, past South Africa House, still to the east, is the Strand, towards the present location of Charing Cross and the Charing Cross station. To the south is Whitehall, towards the direction of the Palace of Westminster. To the southwest is the Admiralty Arch with The Mall passing through it towards Buckingham Palace. Finally, to the west is Cockspur Street in the direction towards the Haymarket.

There are several statues at Trafalgar Square, the most prominent of which is Nelson's Column. It is surrounded by four huge bronze lions cast from cannons of the French fleet. At the four corners of the square are plinths. Three of these have statues on them: King George IV on the northeast plinth, cast in the 1840s; Henry Havelock on the southeast plinth, cast in 1861; Sir Charles James Napier on the southwest plinth, cast in 1855. The fourth plinth remains without a permanent statue on it. Initially it was intended for a statue of King William IV, but there was insufficient funds to complete it. As of now, the plinth continues to be used for temporary works of art.

On the lawn in front of the National Gallery are two more statues: King James II to the west of the entrance portico, and George Washington to the east. The Washington statue was a gift from the state of Virginia in US. It stands on soil brought over from the United States, in honour of Washington's declaration that he would never again set foot on British soil.

Trafalgar Square
Author: © 2008, Pilise Gábor. (cc-by-3.0)

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