General Information

Located in central London and built between 1820 and 1845, Trafalgar Square is now a public space as well as one of major tourist attractions, with a number of statues, fountains and the famous monument of Nelson. It is also known as a place of community gatherings and political demonstrations.

Additional Information

The name of the square commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory over France during the Napoleonic Wars.

Architecture: Highlights

The present layout of the square was designed by Sir Charles Barry and completed in 1845. The square consists of a large central area with roadways on three sides, and a terrace to the north, in front of the National Gallery. In the centre stands Nelson’s Column, guarded by four monumental, bronze lions.

Architecture: Explained

The square was formerly surrounded by a one-way traffic system, but as a result of recent works, the width of the roads was reduced and the northern side was closed to traffic.
For Nelson’s Column a competition was held and the design by the architect William Railton was chosen – a Corinthian column topped by a statue of Nelson, with an overall height of more than 200 feet, guarded by four sculpted lions. Barry’s scheme provided two plinths for sculptures on the northern side of the square. A bronze equestrian statue of George IV by Sir Francis Chantrey was installed on the eastern one in 1844, while the other remained empty until the late 20th century. Two more statues on plinths were added during the 19th century; General Sir Charles James Napier by George Cannon Adams in the south-west corner of the square in 1855, and Major-General Sir Henry Havelock by William Behnes, in the south-east in 1861. In 2000, the then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone controversially expressed a desire to see the two generals replaced with statues of people ‘ordinary Londoners would know’. Since 1998 the empty plinth in the north-west corner of the square – which has become known as the ‘Fourth Plinth’ – has been used to show a series of specially commissioned artworks. Besides the statues, the square also includes several fountains. When the square was laid out in the 1840s, the fountains’ primary purpose was not aesthetic, but rather to reduce the open space available and the risk of riotous assembly. They were originally fed by water pumped from an artesian well by a steam engine sited behind the National Gallery. In the 1930s the old fountains were replaced but in 2009 further restoration work became necessary. The pump system was replaced with a new pump capable of sending a 24-metre jet of water into the air. A new LED lighting system was also installed during this restoration to reduce the cost of lighting maintenance. The new lighting has been designed with the London 2012 Summer Olympics in mind and for the first time will project many different combinations of colours onto the fountains.

History: Highlights

The square has become a social and political focus for visitors and Londoners alike, developing from ‘an esplanade peopled with figures of national heroes, into the country’s foremost place politique’, as historian Rodney Mace has written. Since its construction, Trafalgar Square has also been a venue for political demonstrations.

History: Explained

Most of the area now occupied by Trafalgar Square used to be the site of the King’s Mews. In the 1820s, George IV engaged architect John Nash to redevelop the area. Nash cleared the area but the present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845. A major redevelopment of the square was conducted in the early 2000s. The work involved closing the main eastbound road along the northern side, diverting the traffic around the other three sides of the square, demolishing the central section of the northern retaining wall and inserting a wide set of steps leading up to a pedestrianised terrace in front of the National Gallery. The construction includes two lifts for the disabled, public toilets, and a small café. Apart from political demonstrations, the square has also hosted New Year events, Victory in Europe Day celebrations, Christmas ceremonies (since 1947 it has been the site for London’s Christmas tree), and sport events.

Interesting Facts

Trafalgar Square used to be a favoured eatery for pigeons, in a manner of speaking. Thousands of birds visited it daily, attracted by tourists and residents who fed them. However, the issue of health risks connected with such a large flock of birds was raised, and in 2000 the sale of birdseed was banned from the square. Moreover, trained falcons were set loose on the pigeons to drive them away. As of 2007, feeding birds in Trafalgar Square is prohibited.