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{{Short description|Public square in London, England}}{{other uses}}{{Good article}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}{{Use British English|date=January 2012}}

factoids

| designer = Sir Charles Barry1840}}| north = Charing Cross Road| south = Northumberland AvenueWhitehallThe Mall, London>The MallStrand, London>The Strandwww.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/city-halls-buildings-and-squares/trafalgar-square}}}}Trafalgar Square ({{IPAc-en|t|r|É™|ˈ|f|æ|l|É¡|É™r}} {{respell|trÉ™|FAL|gÉ™r}}) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, established in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. The square’s name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21st October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar.The site around Trafalgar Square has been a significant landmark since the 1200s. For centuries, distances measured from Charing Cross have served as location markers.WEB, Where Is The Centre Of London?,www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml, 31 July 2008, 9 August 2020, BBC, en-gb, live,www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20100817141948www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20100817141948www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml, 17 August 2010, The site of the present square formerly contained the elaborately designed, enclosed courtyard, King’s Mews. After George IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace, the area was redeveloped by John Nash, but progress was slow after his death, and the square did not open until 1844. The {{convert|169|ft|adj=on}} Nelson’s Column at its centre is guarded by four lion statues. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square, but the Fourth Plinth, left empty since 1840, has been host to contemporary art since 1999. Prominent buildings facing the square include the National Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Canada House, and South Africa House.The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including Bloody Sunday in 1887, the culmination of the first Aldermaston March, anti-war protests, and campaigns against climate change. A Christmas tree has been donated to the square by Norway since 1947 and is erected for twelve days before and after Christmas Day. The square is a centre of annual celebrations on New Year’s Eve. It was well known for its feral pigeons until their removal in the early 21st century.

Name

The square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars with France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, southwest Spain, although it was not named as such until 1835.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=934}}The name “Trafalgar” is a Spanish word of Arabic origin, derived from either Taraf al-Ghar ( ‘cape of the cave/laurel’)WEB,web.usal.es/~joluin/historiadelalengua/toponimos.htm,web.usal.es/~joluin/historiadelalengua/toponimos.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20041215174601web.usal.es/~joluin/historiadelalengua/toponimos.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20041215174601web.usal.es/~joluin/historiadelalengua/toponimos.htm, dead, 15 December 2004, 2, 15 December 2004, Entry algar, in DRAE dictionary or Taraf al-Gharb ( ‘extremity of the west’).WEB, Joseph E. Garreau,faculty.uml.edu/jgarreau/50.315/Europ1.htm, A Cultural Introduction to the Languages of Europe, 25 March 2019, WEB, Richard Burton,www.wollamshram.ca/1001/Vol_9/v9notes.htm#82, The Arabian Nights, 9, footnote 82, Richard Francis Burton,

{{anchor|Layout}} Geography

Trafalgar Square is owned by the King in Right of the Crown{{efn|“King in Right of the Crown” is legal fiction denoting the land is privately owned by the King and it is legally possible, though unlikely, to be sold to another individual. The Crown Jewels are under similar ownership.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/30/jubilee.education, The convenient fiction of who owns priceless treasure, The Guardian, 30 May 2002, 21 December 2015,www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/30/jubilee.education," title="web.archive.org/web/20151208154515www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/30/jubilee.education,">web.archive.org/web/20151208154515www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/30/jubilee.education, 8 December 2015, live, }} and managed by the Greater London Authority, while Westminster City Council owns the roads around the square, including the pedestrianised area of the North Terrace.WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/2003/nov/27/trafalgar-square, Trafalgar Square, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 27 November 2003, 26 September 2011,hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/2003/nov/27/trafalgar-square," title="web.archive.org/web/20120119112827hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/2003/nov/27/trafalgar-square,">web.archive.org/web/20120119112827hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/2003/nov/27/trafalgar-square, 19 January 2012, live, The square contains a large central area with roadways on three sides and a terrace to the north, in front of the National Gallery. The roads around the square form part of the A4, a major road running west of the City of London.WEB,www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5077635,-0.1288193,17.75z, Trafalgar Square, Google Maps, 21 December 2015,web.archive.org/web/20170630131551/https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5077635,-0.1288193,17.75z, 30 June 2017, live, Originally having roadways on all four sides, traffic travelled in both directions around the square until a one-way clockwise gyratory system was introduced on 26 April 1926.NEWS,link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS185801367/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=7a1f2c7b, Trafalgar Square Traffic, 23 April 1926, The Times, 44253, 11, 24 April 2020, Works completed in 2003 reduced the width of the roads and closed the northern side to traffic.WEB, 3 August 2003,www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/travel/travel-advisory-boon-to-pedestrians-in-central-london.html?src=pm, TRAVEL ADVISORY; Boon to Pedestrians In Central London, The New York Times, 22 November 2011,www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/travel/travel-advisory-boon-to-pedestrians-in-central-london.html?src=pm," title="web.archive.org/web/20130510125435www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/travel/travel-advisory-boon-to-pedestrians-in-central-london.html?src=pm,">web.archive.org/web/20130510125435www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/travel/travel-advisory-boon-to-pedestrians-in-central-london.html?src=pm, 10 May 2013, live, dmy-all, Nelson’s Column is in the centre of the square, flanked by fountains designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens between 1937 and 1939{{sfn|Barker|2005|p=43}} (replacements for two of Peterhead granite, now in Canada) and guarded by four monumental bronze lions sculpted by Sir Edwin Landseer.BOOK, Walter, Thornbury, Edward, Walford, Edward Walfordtitle=Trafalgar Square and the National Galleryvolume=3Cassell (publisher)>Cassell, Petter & Galpinyear=1878url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3/pp141-149archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025423www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3/pp141-149url-status=live, At the top of the column is a statue of Horatio Nelson, who commanded the British Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar.Surrounding the square are the National Gallery on the north side and St Martin-in-the-Fields Church to the east. Also on the east is South Africa House, and facing it across the square is Canada House. To the south west is The Mall, which leads towards Buckingham Palace via Admiralty Arch, while Whitehall is to the south and the Strand to the east. Charing Cross Road passes between the National Gallery and the church.London Underground’s Charing Cross station on the Northern and Bakerloo lines has an exit in the square. The lines had separate stations, of which the Bakerloo line one was called Trafalgar Square until they were linked and renamed in 1979 as part of the construction of the Jubilee line,BOOK, Subterranean City: Beneath the Streets of London, Antony, Clayton, 165, Historical Publications, 2000, 978-0-948667-69-5, which was rerouted to Westminster in 1999.MAGAZINE,now-here-this.timeout.com/2015/04/16/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-the-disused-parts-of-charing-cross-tube-station/, Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the disused parts of Charing Cross tube station, Time Out, 16 April 2015, 21 December 2015,now-here-this.timeout.com/2015/04/16/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-the-disused-parts-of-charing-cross-tube-station/," title="web.archive.org/web/20151222111410now-here-this.timeout.com/2015/04/16/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-the-disused-parts-of-charing-cross-tube-station/,">web.archive.org/web/20151222111410now-here-this.timeout.com/2015/04/16/take-a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-the-disused-parts-of-charing-cross-tube-station/, 22 December 2015, live, Other nearby tube stations are Embankment connecting the District, Circle, Northern and Bakerloo lines, and Leicester Square on the Northern and Piccadilly lines.WEB,content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf, Standard tube map, Transport for London, 21 December 2015,content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160103122419content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160103122419content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf, 3 January 2016, live, London bus routes 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 87, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176, 453 are only some among the bus routes that pass through Trafalgar Square.WEB,content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf, Central London Bus Map, Transport for London, 19 December 2015, dead,content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170313082004content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170313082004content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf, 13 March 2017, A point in Trafalgar Square is regarded as the official centre of London in legislation and when measuring distances from the capital.{{Wide image|Trafalgar Square London 1908.jpg|1000px|Trafalgar Square, 1908|alt=Trafalgar Square, 1908}}{{Wide image|Trafalgar Square 360 Panorama Cropped Sky, London - Jun 2009.jpg|1000px|A 360-degree view of Trafalgar Square in 2009|alt=A 360-degree view of Trafalgar Square}}

History

File:Trafalgar Square by James Pollard.jpg|thumb|A painting by alt=A painting by James Pollard showing the squareBuilding work on the south side of the square in the late 1950s revealed deposits from the last interglacial period. Among the findings were the remains of cave lions, rhinoceroses, straight-tusked elephants and hippopotami.BOOK, On the track of Ice Age mammals, Sutcliffe, A.J., Harvard University Press, 1985, 978-0674637771, 139, registration,archive.org/details/ontrackoficeagem00sutc/page/139, JOURNAL, Franks, J.W., Interglacial deposits at Trafalgar Square, London., The New Phytologist, 1960, 59, 2, 145–150, 2429192, 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1960.tb06212.x, free, JOURNAL, Interglacial Deposits at Trafalgar Square, London, New Phytologist, 59, 2, 145–152, J W Franks, 9 September 1959, 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1960.tb06212.x, free, The site has been significant since the 13th century. During Edward I’s reign it hosted the King’s Mews, running north from the T-junction in the south, Charing Cross, where the Strand from the City meets Whitehall coming north from Westminster.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=934}} From the reign of Richard II to that of Henry VII, the mews was at the western end of the Strand. The name “Royal Mews” comes from the practice of keeping hawks here for moulting; “mew” is an old word for this. After a fire in 1534, the mews were rebuilt as stables, and remained here until George IV moved them to Buckingham Palace.WEB,www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/royalmews/about/the-history-of-the-royal-mews, The History of the Royal Mews, Royal Collection Trust, 25 November 2015,web.archive.org/web/20151125160805/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/royalmews/about/the-history-of-the-royal-mews, 25 November 2015, live,

Clearance and development

(File:Perspective View of the Royal Stables at Charing Cross - J. Maurer, 1747 - grosvenor11544.jpg|thumb|right|Kent’s Royal Stables, with the Great Mews in the foreground, in 1747. (To the right is St Martin-in-the-Fields.))After 1732, the King’s Mews were divided into the Great Mews and the smaller Green Mews to the north by the Crown Stables, a large block, built to the designs of William Kent. Its site is occupied by the National Gallery.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=29}}In 1826 the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues instructed John Nash to draw up plans for clearing a large area south of Kent’s stable block, and as far east as St Martin’s Lane. His plans left open the whole area of what became Trafalgar Square, except for a block in the centre, which he reserved for a new building for the Royal Academy of Arts. The plans included the demolition and redevelopment of buildings between St Martin’s Lane and the Strand and the construction of a road (now called Duncannon Street) across the churchyard of St Martin-in-the-Fields.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=37}} The Charing Cross Act was passed in 1826 and clearance started soon after. Nash died soon after construction started, impeding its progress. The square was to be named after William IV commemorating his ascent to the throne in 1830.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=176}} Around 1835, it was decided that the square would be named after the Battle of Trafalgar as suggested by architect George Ledwell Taylor, commemorating Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=934}}BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=9TBOcU1WXEcC&q=%22trafalgar+square&pg=PA209, Wanderlust: Based on the true-life journals of Sydney Taylor, Marc, Cardinal, AuthorHouse, 209, 2010, 978-1-4490-7907-9, File:Trafalgar Square 1890 - ten remaining frames by Wordsworth Donisthorpe.gif|thumb|alt=Animated picture using ten frames taken by Wordsworth Donisthorpe|Ten frames of Trafalgar Square shot by Wordsworth DonisthorpeWordsworth DonisthorpeAfter the clearance, development progressed slowly. The National Gallery was built on the north side between 1832 and 1838 to a design by William Wilkins,JOURNAL,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, G. H. Gater, F. R. Hiorns, 1940, 15–18, Survey of London, 20: St Martin-in-the-Fields, pt III: Trafalgar Square & Neighbourhood, 1 March 2012,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national," title="web.archive.org/web/20140406184042www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national,">web.archive.org/web/20140406184042www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national, 6 April 2014, live, and in 1837 the Treasury approved Wilkins’ plan for the laying out of the square, but it was not put into effect.JOURNAL, The Architectural Magazine and Journal, 4, 1837, 524, Design for a national Naval Monument, quoting the ‘ ‘Observer’ ‘ of 24 September 1837 In April 1840, following Wilkins’ death, new plans by Charles Barry were accepted, and construction started within weeks. For Barry, as for Wilkins, a major consideration was increasing the visual impact of the National Gallery, which had been widely criticised for its lack of grandeur. He dealt with the complex sloping site by excavating the main area to the level of the footway between Cockspur Street and the Strand,JOURNAL, 1840, Public Buildings &c Trafalgar Square, The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal, 3, 255, and constructing a {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=on}} high balustraded terrace with a roadway on the north side, and steps at each end leading to the main level. Wilkins had proposed a similar solution with a central flight of steps. All the stonework was of Aberdeen granite. In 1845, four Bude-Lights with octagonal glass lanterns were installed. Two, opposite the National Gallery, are on tall bronze columns, and two, in the south-west and south-east corners of the square, on shorter bronze columns on top of wider granite columns. They were designed by Barry and manufactured by Stevens and Son, of Southwark.MAGAZINE, The Bude Lights, Trafalgar-Square,books.google.com/books?id=etBPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA284, The Illustrated London News, 6, 3 May 1845, 284, In 1841 it was decided that two fountains should be included in the layout.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=107 }} The estimated budget, excluding paving and sculptures, was £11,000. The earth removed was used to level Green Park. The square was originally surfaced with tarmacadam, which was replaced with stone in the 1920s.BOOK, Bradley, Simon, Pevsner, Nikolaus, London 6: Westminster, The Buildings of England, 2003, Yale University Press, Trafalgar Square was opened to the public on 1 May 1844.BOOK, Cunningham, Peter, Handbook of London Past and Present, 1849, John Murray, London, lxv,books.google.com/books?id=yKoxAQAAIAAJ&pg=PR65, London Occurrences 1837–1843, 26 February 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160310043118/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yKoxAQAAIAAJ&pg=PR65&dq, 10 March 2016, live,

Nelson’s Column

File:London,_Trafalgar_Square,_Nelson’s_Column_--_2016_--_4851.jpg|thumb|Nelson’s ColumnNelson’s ColumnFile:TrafalgarSquareLion.JPG|thumb|The lions at Nelson’s ColumnNelson’s ColumnNelson’s Column was planned independently of Barry’s work. In 1838 a Nelson Memorial Committee had approached the government proposing that a monument to the victory of Trafalgar, funded by public subscription, should be erected in the square. A competition was held and won by the architect William Railton, who proposed a {{convert|218|ft|3|in|m|adj=on}} Corinthinan column topped by a statue of Nelson and guarded by four sculpted lions. The design was approved, but received widespread objections from the public. Construction went ahead beginning in 1840 but with the height reduced to {{convert|145|ft|3|in|m}}.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=177}} The column was completed and the statue raised in November 1843.{{sfn|Mace|1976|page= 90}}The last of the bronze reliefs on the column’s pedestals was not completed until May 1854, and the four lions, although part of the original design, were only added in 1867.{{sfn|Mace|1976|pp=107–8}} Each lion weighs seven tons.{{Citation|title=Bow Bells – A Magazine of General Literature|year=1867|publisher=John Dicks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5M0aAQAAMAAJ&q=Landseer+seven+tons&pg=PA233|access-date=31 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402082531books.google.de/books?id=5M0aAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA233&dq=Landseer+seven+tons&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo04T8-YPTAhWM1ywKHSVhD00Q6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=Landseer%20seven%20tons&f=false|archive-date=2 April 2017|url-status=live}} A hoarding remained around the base of Nelson’s Column for some years and some of its upper scaffolding remained in place.NEWS, Opening of Trafalgar Square, The Times, 31 July 1839, 6, Landseer, the sculptor, had asked for a lion that had died at the London Zoo to be brought to his studio. He took so long to complete sketches that its corpse began to decompose and some parts had to be improvised. The statues have paws that resemble cats more than lions.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/11268400/Londons-secret-sights-16-more-odd-attractions-you-never-knew-were-there.html?frame=3155177, The faulty lions of Trafalgar Square, The Daily Telegraph, 16 November 2015,www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/11268400/Londons-secret-sights-16-more-odd-attractions-you-never-knew-were-there.html?frame=3155177," title="web.archive.org/web/20151117111724www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/11268400/Londons-secret-sights-16-more-odd-attractions-you-never-knew-were-there.html?frame=3155177,">web.archive.org/web/20151117111724www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/11268400/Londons-secret-sights-16-more-odd-attractions-you-never-knew-were-there.html?frame=3155177, 17 November 2015, live, Barry was unhappy about Nelson’s Column being placed in the square. In July 1840, when its foundations had been laid, he told a parliamentary select committee that “it would in my opinion be desirable that the area should be wholly free from all insulated objects of art”.{{Citation |title=Report from the Select Committee on Trafalgar Square together with the Minutes of Evidence|year=1840 |publisher=Printed by the House of Commons |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xFcAAAAQAAJ|access-date=6 October 2011}}In 1940 the Nazi SS developed secret plans to transfer Nelson’s Column to Berlin{{efn|Hitler had specifically requested that all of Rembrandt’s paintings in the National Gallery be seized as part of the move, as he particularly admired the artist’s work.{{sfn|Longmate|2012|p=137}}}} after an expected German invasion, as related by Norman Longmate in If Britain Had Fallen (1972).{{sfn|Longmate|2012|p=137}}The square has been Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens since 1996.{{NHLE|num=1001362|desc=Trafalgar Square|access-date=11 July 2017|mode=cs2}}

Terrorist bombings

{{see also|Suffragette bombing and arson campaign}}The square was the target of two suffragette bombings in 1913 and 1914. This was as part of the suffragette bombing and arson campaign of 1912–1914, in which suffragettes carried out a series of politically-motivated bombing and arson attacks nationwide as part of their campaign for women’s suffrage.NEWS, Suffragettes, violence and militancy,www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy, 2 October 2021, British Library, The first attack occurred on 15 May 1913. A bomb was planted in the public area outside the National Gallery, but failed to explode.BOOK, Webb, Simon,books.google.com/books?id=w2RtBQAAQBAJ, The Suffragette Bombers: Britain’s Forgotten Terrorists, 2014, Pen and Sword, 978-1-78340-064-5, en, 136, A second attack occurred at St Martin-in-the-Fields church at the north-east corner of the square one 4 April 1914. A bomb exploded inside the church, blowing out the windows and showering passers-by with broken glass. The bomb then started a fire.JOURNAL, Bearman, C. J., 2005, An Examination of Suffragette Violence,www.jstor.org/stable/3490924, The English Historical Review, 120, 486, 391, 10.1093/ehr/cei119, 3490924, 0013-8266, In the aftermath, a mass of people rushed to the scene, many of whom aggressively expressed their anger towards the suffragettes.BOOK, Webb, Simon,books.google.com/books?id=w2RtBQAAQBAJ, The Suffragette Bombers: Britain’s Forgotten Terrorists, 2014, Pen and Sword, 978-1-78340-064-5, en, xiii, Churches were a particular target during the campaign, as it was believed that the Church of England was complicit in reinforcing opposition to women’s suffrage.BOOK, Webb, Simon,books.google.com/books?id=w2RtBQAAQBAJ, The Suffragette Bombers: Britain’s Forgotten Terrorists, 2014, Pen and Sword, 978-1-78340-064-5, en, 65, Between 1913 and 1914, 32 churches were attacked nationwide.JOURNAL, Bearman, C. J., 2005, An Examination of Suffragette Violence,www.jstor.org/stable/3490924, The English Historical Review, 120, 486, 378, 10.1093/ehr/cei119, 3490924, 0013-8266, In the weeks after the bombing, there were also attacks on Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Redevelopment

A major 18-month redevelopment of the square led by W.S. Atkins with Foster and Partners as sub-consultants was completed in 2003. The work involved closing the eastbound road along the north side and diverting 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 to the pedestrianised terrace in front of the National Gallery. The construction includes two lifts for disabled access, public toilets and a café. Access between the square and the gallery had been by two crossings at the northeast and northwest corners.WEB, Trafalgar Square redevelopment, Foster+Partners,www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/trafalgar-square-redevelopment/, 21 December 2015,www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/trafalgar-square-redevelopment/," title="web.archive.org/web/20151115024403www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/trafalgar-square-redevelopment/,">web.archive.org/web/20151115024403www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/trafalgar-square-redevelopment/, 15 November 2015, live, {{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}}

Statues and monuments

Plinths

File:Statue of Henry Havelock, October 2014 (15555081947).jpg|thumb|upright|The statue of Sir Henry Havelock by alt=Sir Henry Havelock’s statueBarry’s scheme provided two plinths for sculptures on the north side of the square.WEB,www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/270_suggestions_for_trafalgar_squares_vacant/40121.html, Suggestions for Trafalgar Square’s Vacant Plinth, Government News, 27 December 1999, 27 November 2015,www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/270_suggestions_for_trafalgar_squares_vacant/40121.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151208134336www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/270_suggestions_for_trafalgar_squares_vacant/40121.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151208134336www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/270_suggestions_for_trafalgar_squares_vacant/40121.html, 8 December 2015, dead, A bronze equestrian statue of George IV was designed by Sir Francis Chantrey and Thomas Earle. It was originally intended to be placed on top of the Marble Arch, but instead was installed on the eastern plinth in 1843, while the other plinths remained empty until late in the 20th century.{{NHLE|num=1275350|access-date=18 January 2021}}NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/from-beckham-to-lapper-the-ever-changing-cast-887463.html, From Beckham to Lapper, the ever-changing cast, James, Macintyre, The Independent, 23 October 2011, 25 February 2021, There are two other statues on plinths, both installed during the 19th century: General Sir Charles James Napier by George Cannon Adams in the south-west corner in 1855, and Major-General Sir Henry Havelock by William Behnes in the south-east in 1861. In 2000, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, suggested replacing the statues with figures more familiar to the general public.NEWS, Paul Kelso, Mayor attacks generals in battle of Trafalgar Square,www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,3604,385413,00.html, The Guardian, 20 October 2000, 25 May 2007, London,

Fourth plinth

In the 21st century, the empty plinth in the north-west corner of the square, the “Fourth Plinth”, has been used to show specially commissioned temporary artworks. The scheme was initiated by the Royal Society of Arts and continued by the Fourth Plinth Commission, appointed by the Mayor of London.WEB,www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/art-and-design/fourth-plinth, Fourth Plinth, Greater London Council, 21 December 2015,web.archive.org/web/20151222160716/https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/art-and-design/fourth-plinth, 22 December 2015, live,

Other sculptures

There are three busts of admirals against the north wall of the square. Those of John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe (by Sir Charles Wheeler) and David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty (by William MacMillan) were installed in 1948 in conjunction with the square’s fountains, which also commemorate them.{{Citation |title=Discovering London Statues and Monuments |last=Baker |first=Margatet |year=2008 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=9 }}WEB,yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=McMillan,_William_(1887–1977),_sculptor, McMillan, William (1887–1977), Your Archives, The National Archives (United Kingdom), The National Archives, 30 May 2011, The third, of the Second World War First Sea Lord Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (by Franta Belsky) was unveiled alongside them on {{Nowrap|2 April}} 1967.{{citation|title=Bust of Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope by Franta Belsky|url=http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Bust_of_Viscount_Cunningham_of_Hyndhope_by_Franta_Belsky|publisher=Your Archives, The National Archives|access-date=27 November 2007|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130224151119yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Bust_of_Viscount_Cunningham_of_Hyndhope_by_Franta_Belsky|archive-date=24 February 2013|url-status=live}}On the south side of Trafalgar Square, on the site of the original Charing Cross, is a bronze equestrian statue of Charles I by Hubert Le Sueur. It was cast in 1633, and placed in its present position in 1678.John Gorton: A Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland, 1833, p. 687The two statues on the lawn in front of the National Gallery are the statue of James II (designed by Peter van DievoetWEB,www.levif.be/actualite/magazine/artistes-de-pere-en-fils/article-normal-894707.html, Artistes, de père en fils, Site-LeVif-FR, 21 November 2008, 9 December 2019, and Laurens van der Meulen for the studio of Grinling Gibbons)Horace Walpole, Anecdotes of painting in England: with some account of the principal artists; and incidental notes on other arts; collected by the late Mr. George Vertue; and now digested and published from his original MSS. by Mr. Horace Walpole, London, 1765, vol. III, p. 91 : « Gibbons had several disciples and workmen; Selden I have mentioned; Watson assisted chiefly at Chatsworth, where the boys and many of the ornaments in the chapel were executed by him. Dievot of Brussels, and Laurens of Mechlin were principal journeymen — Vertue says they modelled and cast the statue I have mentioned in the privy-garden ». According to David Green, in Grinling Gibbons, his work as carver and statuary (London, 1964), one Smooke sayd to Vertue that this statue ”was modelled and made by Laurence and Devoot (sic)”; George Vertue, Note Books, ed. Walpole Society, Oxford, 1930–47, vol. I, p.82 : “Lawrence. Dyvoet. statuarys”, and ibidem IV, 50 : “Laurens a statuary of Mechlin... Dievot a statuary of Brussels both these artists were in England and assisted Mr. Gibbons in statuary works in K. Charles 2d. and K. James 2d. time, they left England in the troubles of the Revolution and retird to their own country”. to the west of the portico, and of one George Washington, a replica of a work by Jean-Antoine Houdon, to the east.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}} The latter was a gift from the Commonwealth of Virginia, installed in 1921.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=875}}Two statues erected in the 19th century have since been removed. One of Edward Jenner, pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, was set up in the south-west corner of the square in 1858, next to that of Napier. Sculpted by William Calder Marshall, it showed Jenner sitting in a chair in a relaxed pose, and was inaugurated at a ceremony presided over by Prince Albert. It was moved to Kensington Gardens in 1862.JOURNAL, 1858, The Jenner Monument, Dublin Hospital Gazette, 5, 176, WEB,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45228, Kensington Gardens, Edward Walford, Institute of Historical Research, 1878, Old and New London: Volume 5, 31 October 2011,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45228," title="web.archive.org/web/20110525194901www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45228,">web.archive.org/web/20110525194901www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45228, 25 May 2011, live, The other, of General Charles George Gordon by Hamo Thornycroft, was erected on an 18-foot high pedestal between the fountains in 1888. It was removed in 1943 and re-sited on the Victoria Embankment ten years later.{{sfn|Mace|1976|pp=125–126}}

Fountains

(File:Trafalgar square fountain, June 7 2014.JPG|thumb|Fountain at Trafalgar Square, 2014|alt=Fountain at Trafalgar Square, 2014)In 1841, following suggestions from the local paving board, Barry agreed that two fountains should be installed to counteract the effects of reflected heat and glare from the asphalt surface. The First Commissioner of Woods and Forests welcomed the plan because the fountains reduced the open space available for public gatherings and reduced the risk of riotous assembly.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=87}} The fountains were fed from two wells, one in front of the National Gallery and one behind it connected by a tunnel. Water was pumped to the fountains by a steam engine housed in a building behind the gallery.In the late-1930s it was decided to replace the pump and the centrepieces of the fountains. The new centrepieces, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were memorials to Lord Jellicoe and Lord Beatty, although busts of the admirals, initially intended to be placed in the fountain surrounds were placed against the northern retaining wall when the project was completed after the Second World War.{{sfn|Mace|1976|pp=130–1}} The fountains cost almost £50,000. The original centrepieces were presented to the Canadian government and are now located in Ottawa’s Confederation Park and Regina’s Wascana Centre.{{citation|title=Trafalgar Square fountain spurts to new heights|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 May 2009|location=London|first=Maev|last=Kennedy|access-date=25 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715153136www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen|archive-date=15 July 2014|url-status=live}}WEB, Trafalgar Square fountains,www.garden-fountain.co.uk/trafalgar.asp, 2003, 16 July 2009, A programme of restoration was completed by {{Nowrap|May 2009}}. The pump system was replaced with one capable of sending an {{convert|80|ft|m|adj=on}} jet of water into the air.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen, Trafalgar Square fountain spurts to new heights, Maev, Kennedy, The Guardian, 29 May 2009, 21 December 2015,www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen," title="web.archive.org/web/20151222130857www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen,">web.archive.org/web/20151222130857www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/29/trafalgar-square-fountains-reopen, 22 December 2015, live, A LED lighting system that can project different combinations of colours on to the fountains was installed to reduce the cost of lighting maintenance and to coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Pigeons

{{See also|Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons}}(File:People feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square c.1993.jpg|thumb|People sitting on lions and feeding pigeons in the square|alt=Pigeons flocking to London’s Trafalgar Square)The square was once famous for feral pigeons and feeding them was a popular activity. Pigeons began flocking to the square before construction was completed and feed sellers became well known in the Victorian era.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=181}} The desirability of the birds’ presence was contentious: their droppings disfigured the stonework and the flock, estimated at its peak to be 35,000, was considered a health hazard.BOOK, House Guests, House Pests: A Natural History of Animals in the Home, Richard, Jones, Bloomsbury, 2015, 85, 978-1-4729-0624-3, A stall seller, Bernie Rayner, infamously sold bird seed to tourists at inflated prices.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-pigeons-have-gone-but-visitors-are-flocking-to-trafalgar-square-2041675.html, The pigeons have gone, but visitors are flocking to Trafalgar Square, Andy, McSmith, The Independent, 23 October 2011, 14 November 2015,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-pigeons-have-gone-but-visitors-are-flocking-to-trafalgar-square-2041675.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151117033542www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-pigeons-have-gone-but-visitors-are-flocking-to-trafalgar-square-2041675.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151117033542www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-pigeons-have-gone-but-visitors-are-flocking-to-trafalgar-square-2041675.html, 17 November 2015, live, In February 2001, the sale of bird seed in the square was stopped{{citation|title=Pigeon feed seller takes flight|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1158023.stm|work=BBC News|date=7 February 2001|access-date=30 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808213842news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1158023.stm|archive-date=8 August 2017|url-status=live}} and other measures were introduced to discourage the pigeons including the use of birds of prey.{{citation|title=Bird control contractor appointed in 2004 to deter pigeons from Trafalgar Square|url=http://www.vvenv.co.uk/news/the-verminator|publisher=vvenv.co.uk|date=8 October 2004|access-date=19 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425080932www.vvenv.co.uk/news/the-verminator|archive-date=25 April 2012|url-status=live}} Supporters continued to feed the birds but in 2003 the mayor, Ken Livingstone, enacted bylaws to ban feeding them in the square.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3275233.stm, Feeding Trafalgar’s pigeons illegal, BBC News, 17 November 2003, 14 November 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3275233.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090315011833news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3275233.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20090315011833news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3275233.stm, 15 March 2009, live, In September 2007 Westminster City Council passed further bylaws banning feeding birds on the pedestrianised North Terrace and other pavements in the area.{{citation|url=http://www.24dash.com/localgovernment/27299.htm|title=Pigeon feeding banned in Trafalgar Square|publisher=24dash.com|date=10 September 2007|access-date=17 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629083412www.24dash.com/localgovernment/27299.htm|archive-date=29 June 2012}} Nelson’s column was repaired from years of damage from pigeon droppings at a cost of £140,000.

Events

New Year

For many years, revellers celebrating the New Year have gathered in the square despite a lack of celebrations being arranged. The lack of official events was partly because the authorities were concerned that encouraging more partygoers would cause overcrowding. Since 2003, a firework display centred on the London Eye and South Bank of the Thames has been provided as an alternative. Since 2014, New Year celebrations have been organised by the Greater London Authority in conjunction with the charity Unicef, who began ticketing the event to control crowd numbers.WEB,www.london.gov.uk/get-involved/events/london-nye-2015-fireworks, London New Year’s Eve with Unicef., Greater London Authority, 14 November 2015,web.archive.org/web/20151117063425/https://www.london.gov.uk/get-involved/events/london-nye-2015-fireworks, 17 November 2015, live, The fireworks display has been cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an event due to take place in the Square to see in 2022.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59343732, London New Year fireworks replaced by Trafalgar Square event, BBC News, 19 November 2021, However the event was cancelled during the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 Omicron variant.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59734081, Omicron: Trafalgar Square New Year’s Eve event cancelled, BBC News, 20 December 2021,

Christmas

{{See also|Trafalgar Square Christmas tree}}(File:Trafalgar Square Christmas tree8.jpg|thumb|upright|The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in 2008|alt=The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree)A Christmas ceremony has been held in the square every year since 1947. A Norway spruce (or sometimes a fir) is presented by Norway’s capital city, Oslo as London’s Christmas tree, a token of gratitude for Britain’s support during World War II. (Besides war-time support, Norway’s Prince Olav and the country’s government lived in exile in London throughout the war.)The Christmas tree is decorated with lights that are switched on at a seasonal ceremony.WEB,www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/tree-lighting#?tab=map&map=SignificantWeather&zoom=8&lon=-0.12&lat=51.51&fcTime=1362477600, Trafalgar Square tree lighting ceremony, Met Office, 25 February 2013,www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/tree-lighting#?tab=map&map=SignificantWeather&zoom=8&lon=-0.12&lat=51.51&fcTime=1362477600," title="web.archive.org/web/20121031060337www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/tree-lighting#?tab=map&map=SignificantWeather&zoom=8&lon=-0.12&lat=51.51&fcTime=1362477600,">web.archive.org/web/20121031060337www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/tree-lighting#?tab=map&map=SignificantWeather&zoom=8&lon=-0.12&lat=51.51&fcTime=1362477600, 31 October 2012, live, It is usually held twelve days before Christmas Day. The festivity is open to the public and attracts a large number of people.NEWS,www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trafalgar-square-sparkles-blue-as-christmas-tree-lights-go-on-8388954.html, Trafalgar Square sparkles blue as Christmas tree lights go on, London Evening Standard, 28 February 2013,www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trafalgar-square-sparkles-blue-as-christmas-tree-lights-go-on-8388954.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121209052210www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trafalgar-square-sparkles-blue-as-christmas-tree-lights-go-on-8388954.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121209052210www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trafalgar-square-sparkles-blue-as-christmas-tree-lights-go-on-8388954.html, 9 December 2012, live, The switch-on is usually followed by several nights of Christmas carol singing and other performances and events.WEB,www.london.gov.uk/events/2015-12-03/christmas-trafalgar-square, Christmas in Trafalgar Square, Greater London Council, 21 December 2015,www.london.gov.uk/events/2015-12-03/christmas-trafalgar-square," title="web.archive.org/web/20151209203129www.london.gov.uk/events/2015-12-03/christmas-trafalgar-square,">web.archive.org/web/20151209203129www.london.gov.uk/events/2015-12-03/christmas-trafalgar-square, 9 December 2015, live, 5 November 2015, On the twelfth night of Christmas, the tree is taken down for recycling. Westminster City Council threatened to abandon the event to save £5,000 in 1980 but the decision was reversed.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/for_christmas/_new_year/christmas_decorations/39383.stm, Shedding light on Christmas, BBC News, 21 December 1997, 21 December 2015, The tree is selected by the Head Forester from Oslo’s municipal forest and shipped, across the North Sea to the Port of Felixstowe, then by road to Trafalgar Square. The first tree was {{convert|48|ft|m}} tall, but more recently has been around {{convert|75|ft|m}}. In 1987, protesters chained themselves to the tree. In 1990, a man sawed into the tree with a chainsaw a few hours before a New Year’s Eve party was scheduled to take place. He was arrested and the tree was repaired by tree surgeons who removed gouged sections from the trunk while the tree was suspended from a crane.NEWS,articles.latimes.com/1990-12-31/news/mn-5771_1_tree-square-trafalgar, Man Takes Chain Saw to Trafalgar Square Tree, but Tannenbaum Stands, Associated Press, 31 December 1990, 22 December 2015, Los Angeles Times,articles.latimes.com/1990-12-31/news/mn-5771_1_tree-square-trafalgar," title="web.archive.org/web/20151223071915articles.latimes.com/1990-12-31/news/mn-5771_1_tree-square-trafalgar,">web.archive.org/web/20151223071915articles.latimes.com/1990-12-31/news/mn-5771_1_tree-square-trafalgar, 23 December 2015, live,

Political demonstrations

(File:Rally at Trafalgar Square, part of the Mud March.jpg|alt=A demonstration in Trafalgar Square|right|thumb|A demonstration in Trafalgar Square)The square has become a social and political focus for visitors and Londoners, developing over its history 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, it has been a venue for political demonstrations.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}} The great Chartist rally in 1848, a campaign for social reform by the working class began in the square.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}} A ban on political rallies remained in effect until the 1880s, when the emerging Labour movement, particularly the Social Democratic Federation, began holding protests. On {{Nowrap|8 February}} 1886 (also known as “Black Monday“), protesters rallied against unemployment leading to a riot in Pall Mall. A larger riot (“Bloody Sunday”) occurred in the square on {{Nowrap|13 November}} 1887.{{sfn|Crick|1994|p=47}}The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s first Aldermaston March, protesting against the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), began in the square in 1958.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}} One of the first significant demonstrations of the modern era was held in the square on {{Nowrap|19 September}} 1961 by the Committee of 100, which included the philosopher Bertrand Russell. The protesters rallied for peace and against war and nuclear weapons. In March 1968, a crowd of 10,000 demonstrated against US involvement in the Vietnam War before marching to the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square.WEB,news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/17/newsid_2818000/2818967.stm, On This Day – 17 March – 1968: Anti-Vietnam demo turns violent, 2008, BBC News, 2 January 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/17/newsid_2818000/2818967.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20150111134315news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/17/newsid_2818000/2818967.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20150111134315news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/17/newsid_2818000/2818967.stm, 11 January 2015, live, (File:DemonstrationAgainstAntiTerrorismLawLondon23Jan.jpg|thumb|Protesting against harassment of photographers under anti-terrorism law, 23 January 2010|alt=Protests)Throughout the 1980s, a continuous anti-apartheid protest was held outside South Africa House. In 1990, the Poll Tax Riots began by a demonstration attended by 200,000 people and ultimately caused rioting in the surrounding area.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=935}} More recently, there have been anti-war demonstrations opposing the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War.{{citation|author=Keith Flett|title=The Committee of 100: Sparking a new left|url=http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=5114|journal=Socialist Worker|issue=1933|date=8 January 2005|access-date=10 March 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321061644www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=5114|archive-date=21 March 2006|url-status=live}} A large vigil was held shortly after the terrorist bombings in London on Thursday, {{Nowrap|7 July}} 2005.{{citation|title=London falls silent for bomb dead|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4679681.stm|work=BBC News|date=14 July 2005|access-date=22 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060722004846news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4679681.stm|archive-date=22 July 2006|url-status=live}}In December 2009, participants from the Camp for Climate Action occupied the square for the two weeks during which the UN Conference on Climate Change took place in Copenhagen.WEB,www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/cop15-out, COP OUT CAMP OUT Âť Camp for Climate Action, Climatecamp.org.uk, 26 September 2011, dead,www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/cop15-out," title="web.archive.org/web/20110929120826www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/cop15-out,">web.archive.org/web/20110929120826www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/cop15-out, 29 September 2011, It was billed as a UK base for direct action on climate change and saw various actions and protests stem from the occupation.WEB,www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443493.html?c=on#c239066, UK Indymedia – Climate protestors scale Canadian Embassy and deface flag, Indymedia.org.uk, 15 December 2009, 26 September 2011, WEB,www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443706.html, UK Indymedia – Climate Camp Trafalgar- Ice Bear action, Indymedia.org.uk, 18 December 2009, 26 September 2011,indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443706.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20111011222724indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443706.html,">web.archive.org/web/20111011222724indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443706.html, 11 October 2011, live, WEB,www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443698.html, UK Indymedia – Thur Dec 17 protest outside Danish Embassy, London, Indymedia.org.uk, 17 December 2009, 26 September 2011,indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443698.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20111011194235indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443698.html,">web.archive.org/web/20111011194235indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/443698.html, 11 October 2011, live, In March 2011, the square was occupied by a crowd protesting against the UK Budget and proposed budget cuts. During the night the situation turned violent as the escalation by riot police and protesters damaged portions of the square.(Wikinews:Battle for Trafalgar Square, London as violence breaks out between demonstrators and riot police) In November 2015 a vigil against the terrorist attacks in Paris was held. Crowds sang the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, and held banners in support of the city and country.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paris-attacks-thousands-attend-vigil-in-trafalgar-square-a6734926.html, Paris terror attacks, The Independent, 14 November 2015, 17 December 2015,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paris-attacks-thousands-attend-vigil-in-trafalgar-square-a6734926.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151122024302www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paris-attacks-thousands-attend-vigil-in-trafalgar-square-a6734926.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151122024302www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paris-attacks-thousands-attend-vigil-in-trafalgar-square-a6734926.html, 22 November 2015, live, File:UK-2014-London-Statue of Charles James Napier.jpg|thumb|upright|The statue of Charles James Napier in Trafalgar Square, LondonLondonEvery year on the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar ({{Nowrap|21 October}}), the Sea Cadet Corps holds a parade in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson and the British victory over the combined fleets of Spain and France at Trafalgar.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html, Sea Cadets in Battle of Trafalgar parade, The Daily Telegraph, 21 October 2012, 18 December 2015,www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151222083810www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151222083810www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html, 22 December 2015, dead, The Royal British Legion holds a Silence in the Square event on Armistice Day, 11 November, in remembrance of those who died in war. The event includes music and poetry readings, culminating in a bugler playing the Last Post and a two-minute silence at 11 am.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34783337, Armistice Day: Nation remembers war dead, BBC News, 11 November 2015, 21 December 2015,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34783337," title="web.archive.org/web/20151114200155www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34783337,">web.archive.org/web/20151114200155www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34783337, 14 November 2015, live, In February 2019, hundreds of students participated in a protest against climate change as a part of the School strike for Climate campaign. The protest started in the nearby Parliament Square, and as the day went on, the demonstrators moved towards Trafalgar Square.WEB, School children across UK strike over climate change,news.sky.com/story/live-school-children-across-uk-strike-over-climate-change-11637954, 4 March 2021, Sky News, en, In July 2020, two members of the protest group Animal Rebellion were arrested on suspicion for criminal damage after releasing red dye into the fountains.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53377221, Trafalgar Square fountains: Two arrested over red dye protest, BBC News, 11 July 2020, 11 July 2020, NEWS,metro.co.uk/2020/07/11/vegan-activists-turn-trafalgar-square-fountains-blood-red-12976501/, Vegan activists turn Trafalgar Square fountains blood red, Metro, 11 July 2020, 11 July 2020, In September 2020 anti-lockdown protests opposed to the imposition of regulations relating to the coronavirus outbreak took place in the square.WEB,news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-protesters-and-police-officer-hurt-in-clashes-at-anti-lockdown-rally-in-central-london-12082468, Coronavirus: London anti-lockdown protests see 16 arrests as police left in hospital after clashes, Sky News, A police observation box has been in the Square since 1919, originally a wooden freestanding unit, it was replaced by hollowing out a lampstand at the southeastern corner of the Square into a permanent structure in 1928, but decommissioned in the 1970s.WEB,www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/london-smallest-police-station-in-trafalgar-square-isnt-what-its-claimed-to-be-24909/, Trafalgar Square’s “police station” isn’t what it’s claimed to be, ianVisits, 8 April 2018,

Sport

In the 21st century, Trafalgar Square has been the location for several sporting events and victory parades. In June 2002, 12,000 people gathered to watch England’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Brazil on giant video screens which had been erected for the occasion.{{citation|title=England fans mourn defeat|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/england_v_brazil/newsid_2055000/2055509.stm|work=BBC News|date=21 June 2002|access-date=24 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408160653news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/england_v_brazil/newsid_2055000/2055509.stm|archive-date=8 April 2008|url-status=live}} The square was used by England on {{Nowrap|9 December}} 2003 to celebrate their victory in the Rugby World Cup,NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/3300061.stm, England honours World Cup stars, BBC Sport, 9 December 2003, 16 December 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/3300061.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20071021030351news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/3300061.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20071021030351news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/3300061.stm, 21 October 2007, live, and on {{Nowrap|13 September}} 2005 for England’s victory in the Ashes series.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/ashes_2005/4239254.stm, Fans hail England’s Ashes heroes, BBC News, 13 September 2005, 16 December 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/ashes_2005/4239254.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070910205900news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/ashes_2005/4239254.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20070910205900news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/ashes_2005/4239254.stm, 10 September 2007, live, On 6 July 2005 Trafalgar Square hosted the official watch party for London’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, hosted by Katy Hill and Margherita Taylor.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/6/newsid_4940000/4940112.stm, 2005: London to host 2012 Olympics, BBC News, 7 December 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/6/newsid_4940000/4940112.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160209035449news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/6/newsid_4940000/4940112.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20160209035449news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/6/newsid_4940000/4940112.stm, 9 February 2016, live, A countdown clock was erected in March 2011, although engineering and weather-related faults caused it to stop a day later.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8383538/London-2012-Olympics-Trafalgar-Square-countdown-clock-stops.html, London 2012 Olympics: Trafalgar Square countdown clock stops, Jacquelin, Magnay, The Daily Telegraph, 15 March 2011, 7 December 2015,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8383538/London-2012-Olympics-Trafalgar-Square-countdown-clock-stops.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151223105908www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8383538/London-2012-Olympics-Trafalgar-Square-countdown-clock-stops.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151223105908www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8383538/London-2012-Olympics-Trafalgar-Square-countdown-clock-stops.html, 23 December 2015, live, In 2007, it hosted the opening ceremonies of the Tour de FranceNEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6278942.stm, Crowds turn out for Tour opening, BBC News, 6 July 2007, 7 December 2015,news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6278942.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070715164537news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6278942.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20070715164537news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6278942.stm, 15 July 2007, live, and was part of the course for subsequent races.WEB,tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/july/london-gets-ready-to-welcome-back-the-tour-de-france-on-monday, London gets ready to welcome back the Tour de France on Monday, Transport For London, 4 July 2014, 7 December 2015,web.archive.org/web/20151222173329/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/july/london-gets-ready-to-welcome-back-the-tour-de-france-on-monday, 22 December 2015, live,

Other uses

(File:Trafalgar Square Grass - May 2007.jpg|250px|thumb|Trafalgar Square temporarily grassed over in May 2007|alt=Trafalgar Square temporarily grassed over)The Sea Cadets hold a yearly Battle of Trafalgar victory parade running the north of Whitehall, from Horse Guard’s Parade to Nelson’s Column.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html, Sea Cadets in Battle of Trafalgar parade, The Daily Telegraph, 21 October 2012, 31 March 2017,www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170622222323www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170622222323www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9624106/Sea-Cadets-in-Battle-of-Trafalgar-parade.html, 22 June 2017, dead, As an archetypal London location, Trafalgar Square featured in film and television productions during the Swinging London era of the late 1960s, including The Avengers,BOOK, Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s, James, Chapman, 72, I.B.Tauris, 2002, 978-1-86064-753-6, Casino Royale,BOOK, The Music of James Bond, Jon, Burlingame, Oxford University Press, 2012, 68, 978-0-19-986330-3, Doctor Who,BOOK, A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television, John Kenneth, Muir, McFarland, 228, 1999, 978-0-7864-3716-0, and The Ipcress File.BOOK, London Film Location Guide, Simon, James, Anova Books, 91, 2007, 978-0-7134-9062-6, It was used for filming several sketches and a cartoon backdrop in the BBC comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus.{{sfn|Larsen|2008|p=203}} In May 2007, the square was grassed over with 2,000 square metres of turf for two days in a campaign by London authorities to promote “green spaces” in the city.{{citation|title=Trafalgar Square green with turf|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6687089.stm|work=BBC News|date=24 May 2007|access-date=18 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827233920news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6687089.stm|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live}}In July 2011, due to building works in Leicester Square, the world premiere of the final film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was held in Trafalgar Square, with a {{convert|0.75|mi|km|adj=on}} red carpet linking the squares. Fans camped in Trafalgar Square for up to three days before the premiere, despite torrential rain. It was the first film premiere ever to be held there.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14060308, Harry Potter premiere: Stars and fans bid tearful goodbye, Tim, Masters, BBC Entertainment & Arts, 7 July 2011, 18 December 2015,www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14060308," title="web.archive.org/web/20160421105815www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14060308,">web.archive.org/web/20160421105815www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14060308, 21 April 2016, live, The square has seen controversy over busking and street theatre, which have attracted complaints over noise and public safety.NEWS,www.standard.co.uk/news/london/buskers-in-the-west-end-could-need-licences-after-outcry-at-noise-a4004631.html, Buskers in the West End could need licences after outcry at noise, London Evening Standard, 30 November 2018, 24 February 2020, In 2012, the Greater London Authority created a bylaw for regulating busking and associated tourism.{{sfn|Odih|2019|p=346}}REPORT,www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/trafalgar_square_byelaws.pdf, Trafalgar Square Byelaws, Greater London Council, 3–4, 2012, 25 February 2020, In 2016, the National Gallery proposed to introduce licensing for such performances.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/national-gallery-plans-to-demand-trafalgar-square-buskers-leave-so-it-can-create-one-of-london-s-a6877966.html, National Gallery plans to demand Trafalgar Square buskers leave so it can create ‘one of London’s great parks’, The Independent, 16 February 2016, 24 February 2020,

Cultural references

A Lego architecture set based on Trafalgar Square was released in 2019. It contains models of the National Gallery and Nelson’s Column alongside miniature lions, fountains and double-decker buses.WEB,www.archdaily.com/914932/legos-next-architecture-set-will-be-londons-trafalgar-square, Lego’s Next Architecture Set Will Be London’s Trafalgar Square, Arch Daily, 11 April 2019, 10 July 2019, Trafalgar Square is one of the squares on the standard British Monopoly Board. It is in the red set alongside the Strand and Fleet Street.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=185}}Several scenes in the dystopian future of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four take place in Trafalgar Square, which was renamed “Victory Square” by the story’s totalitarian regime and dominated by the giant statue of Big Brother which replaced Nelson.WEB, Gordon Bowker (writer), Gordon Bowker,www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/library/gordon-bowker-orwells-london/, Gordon Bowker Orwell’s London, 23 September 2010, The Orwell Foundation, 24 February 2020,

Other Trafalgar Squares

File:Trafalgar Square, Sunderland 1.jpg|thumb|right|Trafalgar Square in Sunderland: a group of merchant seamen’s almshousesalmshousesA Trafalgar Square in Stepney is recorded in Lockie’s Topography of London, published in 1810.BOOK, Lockie, John, Lockie’s Topography of London and its Environs, 1810, London,archive.org/stream/lockiestopograph00lockiala/lockiestopograph00lockiala_djvu.txt, Trafalgar Square in Scarborough, North Yorkshire gives its name to the Trafalgar Square End at the town’s North Marine Road cricket ground.WEB,www.scarboroughcricketclub.co.uk/the-club/club-heritage/the-scarborough-cricket-club/ground-development, Ground Development, Scarborough Cricket Club, 18 December 2015, dead,scarboroughcricketclub.co.uk/the-club/club-heritage/the-scarborough-cricket-club/ground-development," title="web.archive.org/web/20160318020323scarboroughcricketclub.co.uk/the-club/club-heritage/the-scarborough-cricket-club/ground-development,">web.archive.org/web/20160318020323scarboroughcricketclub.co.uk/the-club/club-heritage/the-scarborough-cricket-club/ground-development, 18 March 2016, The square known as Chelsea Square, London SW3 was at one time known as Trafalgar Square and predated the one in Westminster.WEB,londonist.com/london/history/london-s-other-trafalgar-square, London’s Other Trafalgar Square, 30 May 2017, National Heroes Square in Bridgetown, Barbados, was named Trafalgar Square in 1813, before its better-known British namesake. It was renamed in 1999 to commemorate national heroes of Barbados.BOOK, Barbados Adventure Guides Series, Keith, Whiting, Hunter Publishing, 35, 2012, 978-1-58843-652-8, There is a life scale replica of the square in Bahria Town, Lahore, Pakistan where it is a tourist attraction and centre for local residents.MAGAZINE, Safe Behind Their Walls,www.newsweek.com/safe-behind-their-walls-93819, Newsweek, 31 January 2015,www.newsweek.com/safe-behind-their-walls-93819," title="web.archive.org/web/20150507141511www.newsweek.com/safe-behind-their-walls-93819,">web.archive.org/web/20150507141511www.newsweek.com/safe-behind-their-walls-93819, 7 May 2015, live,

See also

• Canada House
• Parliament Square
• South Africa House
• Bloody Sunday (1887) – riots focused on Trafalgar Square.
• List of public art in Trafalgar Square and the vicinity

References

Notes{{Notelist}}Citations{{Reflist|30em}}Sources

• BOOK, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Barker, Michael, Osprey Publishing, 2005, 978-0-7478-0582-3,
• BOOK, The History of the Social-Democratic Federation, Crick, Martin, Edinburgh University Press, 1994, 978-1-85331-091-1,
• BOOK, Monty Python’s Flying Circus: An Utterly Complete, Thoroughly Unillustrated, Absolutely Unauthorized Guide to Possibly All the References, Larsen, Darl, Rowman & Littlefield, 2008, 978-0-8108-6131-2,
• BOOK, If Britain Had Fallen: The Real Nazi Occupation Plans, Longmate, Norman, Frontline Books, 2012, 978-1-84832-647-7, reprinted / illustrated,
• BOOK, Trafalgar Square: Emblem of Empire, Mace, Rodney, Lawrence and Wishart, 1976, 978-0-85315-368-9, London, registration,archive.org/details/dialogueonspain0000unse, Second edition published as BOOK, Trafalgar Square: Emblem of Empire, Mace, Rodney, Lawrence and Wishart, 2005, 978-1-905007-11-0, 2nd, London,
• BOOK, Do Not Pass Go, Moore, Tim, Vintage, 2003, 978-0-09-943386-6,
• ENCYCLOPEDIA, 2008, The London Encyclopedia, Pan MacMillan, Weinreb, Ben, 978-1-4050-4924-5, {{harvid, Weinreb et al., 2008, |last2=Hibbert|first2=Christopher|last3=Keay|first3=Julia|last4=Keay|first4=John}}
• BOOK, Adsensory Urban Ecology Volume Two, Odih, Pamela, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019, 978-1-5275-2468-2,

Further reading

• WEB,www.blitzandblight.com/fourth-plinth, Fourth Plinth, 12 February 2007, blitzandblight.com,www.blitzandblight.com/fourth-plinth," title="web.archive.org/web/20110708013959www.blitzandblight.com/fourth-plinth,">web.archive.org/web/20110708013959www.blitzandblight.com/fourth-plinth, 8 July 2011, 14 September 2016, dead,
• BOOK, Stone to Build London: Portland’s Legacy, Hackman, Gill, Folly Books, 2014, 978-0-9564405-9-4, Monkton Farleigh, 910854593, Book includes details of the Portland stone buildings around Trafalgar Square, including St Martin in the Fields, the National Gallery and Admiralty Arch.
• BOOK, Trafalgar Square: Through the Camera, Hargreaves, Roger, National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom), National Portrait Gallery Publications, 2005, 978-1-85514-345-6, London,
• BOOK, Trafalgar Square, Holt, Gavin, Hodder & Stoughton, 1934, London, 220695363,
• BOOK, Trafalgar Square: A Visual History of London’s Landmark through Time, Hood, Jean, Batsford, 2005, 978-0-7134-8967-5, London,

External links

{{Commons and category|Trafalgar Square|Trafalgar Square}}

• Official website of Trafalgar Square on the Mayor of London’s website {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307120559www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/ |date=7 March 2011 }}
• Trafalgar Square webcam from Wxyz Webcams

{{Trafalgar Square}}{{London landmarks}}{{Authority control}}