Built to commemorate Admiral Nelson. The square was named after the Spanish Cape Trafalgar, where his last battle was won.
A visit of the London would be incomplete without visiting Trafalgar square.
Trafalgar Square, located in central London, is one of Britain's great tourist attractions. A visit to the capital would be incomplete without going to marvel at Nelsons Column and the four giant lions at its base, or to admire the lovely splashing fountains and to feed the pigeons, who have made their home here.
It was John Nash, who designed the first layout of the square in
the 1820's. Although he didn't live to see its completion, his Neo-classical design was adhered to, achieving the unified effect of the beautiful buildings we admire today.
Building of the square began in 1829 and was still being developed into the 1840's.
The National Gallery occupies the north side of the square.
In the stone under the balustrade, you can see the Imperial Standards of Length (1 foot, 2 feet, 1 yard etc.). On the east side is South Africa House, with African animals featured on the stone arches.
Sir Robert Smirke, who designed The British Museum, also created Canada House, on the west side. Now open to the public, Canada House is worth a visit to enjoy the original classical interior, and to see the interesting changing exhibitions on view.
Visiting Canadians may be interested to know that they can read the Canadian newspapers, browse on line, or send and receive emails in Canada House.
The chartists assembled in Trafalgar Square in 1848 and since then, it has been a favourite
meeting place for demonstrators and marchers, trying to gain attention for their cause.
Each year in December, the people of Norway send a gift of an enormous
Christmas Tree to Britain, which is erected in Trafalgar Square. This is in thanks for Britain's part in their liberation during the second world war.
One of the unforgettable sights of London is to see the giant tree after dark, when it is lit by hundreds of twinkling fairy lights, carol singers grouped around, while floodlights illuminate the sparkling water in the fountains of the square.
This picture is depicted on many Christmas cards, sent all over the world each year. The equestrian statue of Charles I at the south end of the square is noteworthy, as being the original site of Charing Cross. This is the spot from which all "distances from London" are measured.
Edward I. erected a cross here in 1290, the last of twelve marking the resting places of the funeral cortege of his wife Eleanor as it made its way from Nottinghamshire to Westminster Abbey. The cross remained on this spot, until its removal during the civil war in the mid 17th century. A replica was placed in the forecourt to Charing Cross Station two centuries later.
Surrounding Nelson are statues of other distinguished men. On either side, are the bronze
statues of Sir Henry Havelock and
Sir Charles James Napier both Victorian major generals. Fronting the north wall are busts of Beatty, Jellicoe and Cunningham all famous military leaders. In the north east corner, is a statue of
George IV on horseback, commissioned by him, while in the opposite corner the pedestal does not yet have a permanent statue.
Find out some interesting facts about Trafalgar Square
The centerpiece of Trafalgar Square is
Nelson's Column, which was built to honor Admiral Horatio Nelson, who led the British to Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson's Column is 169 ft 3 Inches tall. When they refurbished it in 2006, they discovered that it was actually 14 ft 6 inches shorter than previously thought.
The pedestal of Nelson's Column is decorated with
four bronze relief panels, each 18 feet square, which were cast from captured French guns. They depict the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the Death of Nelson at Trafalgar.
There are f
ourth plinths in the square, 3 of which features statues of previous English Kings.
The fourth plinth, however, never had a statue built for it. So, it's been turned into a public display of art that rotates regularly.
Trafalgar Square
used to be famous as a home for thousands of feral pigeons. A popular activity was to feed them but this made them even more of a pest. So, in 2003 then London Mayor Ken Livingstone declared war on the pigeons and banned feeding them and the selling of feed near the square.
The Square used to be surrounded on all sides by busy roads, which made it rather dangerous to visit. In 2003, the square was redeveloped and the street in front of the National Gallery was closed and pedestrianized.
Trafalgar Square is
owned by the Queen in Right of the Crown as part of the Crown Estate and it's managed by the Greater London Authority, while
Westminster City Council owns the roads around the square, including the pedestrianized area of the North Terrace.
If Hitler had successfully invaded Britain,
he planned to relocate Nelson's Column to Berlin as a war spoil.
Do not feed the pigeons
Do not feed the pigeons: Due to almost 2000 pigeons in Trafalgar square, authorities decided to disallow feeding. As the story goes, around 2007 the fine was already set at
500£.
History (from wikipedia)
The group was formed in 2000 when Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London tried to reduce the number of pigeons in Trafalgar Square. These reductions were to be made by a number of techniques, including the removal of the Trafalgar Square bird food seller’s licence. While feeding was still legal, feeders alleged that they were subjected to a period of intimidatory harassment in late October–early December 2002,[1][2][full citation needed][3][4] during the course of which a Harris's Hawkwas also introduced.
Argument
People feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square c.1993
STTSP argued that completely removing the bird's food was cruel and would lead to a large number of them dying of starvation. They said that reducing the bird's food source over a longer time scale would result in the reduction of the population as they would have to find an alternative food source.[5] Ken Livingstone claimed that the reduction in bird in the Square was to create a "more pleasant environment." In the run up to the ban Trafalgar Square had undergone a £25 million renovation and £140,000 worth of damage had been caused to Nelson's Column as a result of bird droppings.[6]
Agreement
Following the alleged period of harassment STTSP eventually went into an agreement with the Greater London Authority in that there would be a reduction in bird numbers so long as this was carried out through non-cruel means, via food reduction instead of starvation. The group were then allowed to feed the birds at 7:30 a.m. once a day. This approach saw a reduction in bird numbers in Trafalgar Square from 4000 to around 200.[6] This restriction was to last until October 2008.
Agreement rescinded
In 2003 Ken Livingstone and the GLA rescinded their agreement with STTSP and made it illegal for anyone to feed the birds in Trafalgar Square; the penalty for doing so was set at £50.[6] To get around this ban STTSP members moved to an area of the Square not under GLA jurisdiction, but that of the Westminster City Council, thus not covered by the relevant bye-laws and continued to feed the birds.[7] On 10 September 2007 bye-laws were secured that ensured bird feeding was banned throughout the entire square and surrounding areas, with a higher fine of £500 if this law was broken.[8]