Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square can be considered one of twin the hearts of London’s West End – along with Oxford Circus – it occupies several acres at the junction of The Strand, Charing Cross Road, Whitehall, Northumberland Avenue and The Mall.
It was originally part of the Kings Mews, but the square was developed between 1820 and 1845 – originally to be named William IV Square, but named Trafalgar Square to commemorate Admiral Nelson’s famous victory over the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21st 1805.
The north side of the square is dominated by the National Gallery (Britain’s foremost art gallery/museum) while to the south of the square is a 170ft (52m) column topped by an 18ft (5.5m) statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson. The base of the column bears large brass plaques (formed from captured French cannon) that depict some of Nelson’s more famous victories: the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the Nelson’s death Trafalgar. There are also four large bronze lions sculpted by Edwin Landseer.
National Gallery, Fountain and Olympic Clock
The middle of the square features two large pools with fountains, designed by Edwin Lutyens. These are more than just ornamental; their placement was designed to reduce the ‘public’ area of the square, thus providing less space for riots or mass demonstrations.
Nevertheless Trafalgar Square provides a focal point for many public demonstrations, themselves often the culmination of marches through the relatively wide streets in the Westminster area. Other gatherings in the square are less contentious, it’s usually host to London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations (although the fountains are drained), and has hosted several events commemorating London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympiad.
The square is currently host to the official Olympic ‘countdown clock’.
Trafalgar Square is also host to several other statues on plinths, with one plinth on each corner of the square hosting (clock-wise from the north-east corner) King George IV, Major-General Sir Henry Havelock (in the south-east),and General Sir Charles James Napier in the southwest. The fourth plinth (in the north-west) was originally meant to host a statue of King William IV (indeed, as I mentioned previously, the square was at one time to be called William IV Square) but he was an unpopular monarch and the funds required to build a statue were never raised.
4th Plinth at Trafalgar Square
The ‘fourth plinth’ stood empty until 1998 and since then a series of artworks have occupied it. Currently (October 2012) the plinth is host to a 1/30 scale model of Nelson’s flagship ‘Victory’ – in a bottle.
Another Trafalgar Square tradition is that of the Christmas Tree, this is (as any child that grew up in Britain in the fifties or sixties will tell you) an annual gift from the people of Norway, in recognition of Britain’s support for Norway during the 2nd World War.