Trafalgar Square

About Trafalgar Square

Public space and tourist attraction in central London

Trafalgar Square is the main square of central London and its symbolic centre, laid out in the City of Westminster around the area long known as Charing Cross, from which distances to London have been measured since the 1200s. It was created in the early 19th century on the site of the King's Mews after George IV moved them to Buckingham Palace, to a plan by John Nash; work slowed after his death and the square did not open until 1844. Its name commemorates the naval Battle of Trafalgar of 1805, Britain's victory over France and Spain off Cape Trafalgar in southern Spain, a headland whose name comes from the Arabic 'Taraf al-Ghar'. At the centre rises the 52-metre Nelson's Column guarded by four huge bronze lions, flanked by two fountains and commemorative statues; the Fourth Plinth in the north-west corner, empty since 1841, has since 1999 displayed changing and often debated works of contemporary art. Around the square stand the classical facade of the free National Gallery to the north, the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Canada House and South Africa House, with Whitehall leading south to Parliament. Throughout its history the square has been Britain's stage for gatherings and political demonstrations, from Bloody Sunday in 1887 to anti-war marches and climate campaigns, as well as national celebrations and festivals, and since 1947 Norway has donated a great tree erected here every December.

Where:

London, United Kingdom