Explore London - Trafalgar Square

Canada House,National Gallery, Nelson's Column,Water Fountains

May 2, 2007

Trafalgar Square is one of London's great meeting places and close to some of London's most popular areas, like Covent Garden and Soho.

Lord Nelson's gaze from the top of his column is directed not at the crowds mingling in the square but away from them. He looks straight down Whitehall, the street that is home to the British government. A place he may well have been involved in, had he not been killed during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Visitors come here from all over the world to sit and people-watch, cool off near the large fountains, and watch children scramble over the four huge marble lions placed at the base of the column. They are sometimes referred to as ‘the postman’s friend’. It seems that the Post Office sometimes received crank letters addressed to ‘Lord Nelson, Trafalgar Square’. As the postmen can hardly be expected to climb up the column to deliver them, they are returned marked ‘Undeliverable, Four large lions on guard’.(This may be an urban myth!)

Trafalgar Square has been a meeting place since the Middle Ages and from the 13th century on it was the place where the Royal Hawks were kept. Strangely enough, hawks were again making themselves at home here in recent times. They were installed by the authorities to get rid of the pigeons who flocked here in their thousands. Although loved by tourists and peanut sellers, the mess the pigeons made was not only unsightly, it was beginning to damage the statues around the Square as well as polluting the ground. It was time for them to go. The hawks did their job well but there is a story that people creep into the Square during the night to feed the few hopeful birds that still hang around. If you are a pigeon-lover and think of doing this - don’t. Feeding the pigeons is illegal.

Overlooking the Square is Canada House, completed in 1827 and on the other side is another fine building, South Africa House - for many years the scene of 24-hour vigils in protest against apartheid. On the north side is the National Gallery, home to works by Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, and many other wonderful artists.

Before 2003 the Square was cut off from the National Gallery by a busy road. The decision was made to pedestrianize the area in front of the gallery and build steps down to the Square. The result is a huge improvement and London now has a Square that is grand and spacious and, like the famous steps in Rome, it is a place to sit and watch the world go by. If it rains, pop into the fine 18th-century church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and listen to a free lunchtime concert. You could also try your hand at creating some brass rubbings in the crypt.

It is also the place for political meetings and public demonstrations and is where all the big protest marches end up - the fountains have been used more than a few times to cool down the hot-headed. They are also popular on New Year’s Eve when those who have probably a glass or two decide a cold dip is just what they need.

The Norwegian government provides a giant Christmas tree every year for the Square and New Years Eve here is boisterous, to say the least.

Explore London's landmarks from the top deck of a red double-decker - Take the No.15 Bus!

The copyright of the article Explore London - Trafalgar Square in Historical Travel is owned by Cathy Smith. Permission to republish Explore London - Trafalgar Square in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.