The area around Trafalgar Square has been a significant landmark since the 1200s, as distances from London are measured from Charing Cross.[1] TheKing's Mews occupied part of the site until the reign ofGeorge IV, who moved them toBuckingham Palace, allowing the area to be redeveloped byJohn Nash. Progress stalled after the death of Nash in 1835, and the square did not open until 1844. It is faced by buildings including theNational Gallery,St Martin-in-the-Fields,Canada House andSouth Africa House. The square also contains several pieces of public sculpture, including the 169-foot (52 m)Nelson's Column in the centre, which commemorates Vice-AdmiralHoratio Nelson's victory at Trafalgar; anequestrian statue of Charles I; and thefourth plinth, which since 1999 has hosted a variety of artworks.
The name "Trafalgar" is aSpanish word ofArabic origin, derived from eitherTaraf al-Ghar (طرف الغار 'cape of the cave/laurel')[3][4][5] orTaraf al-Gharb (طرف الغرب 'extremity of the west').[6][5]
Trafalgar Square is owned by the King in Right ofthe Crown[a] and managed by theGreater London Authority, whileWestminster City Council owns the roads around the square, including the pedestrianised area of the North Terrace.[8] The square contains a large central area with roadways on three sides and a terrace to the north, in front of theNational Gallery. The roads around the square form part of theA4, a major road running west of theCity of London.[9] Originally, traffic travelled both directions around the square until a one-way clockwise gyratory system was introduced on 26 April 1926.[10] In 2003, the northern side was closed and the road width reduced.[11]
The site has been significant since the 13th century. During the reign ofEdward I of England it hosted theKing's Mews, running north from the T-junction in the south,Charing Cross, where theStrand from theCity of London meetsWhitehall coming north fromWestminster.[2] From the reign ofRichard II to that ofHenry VII, the mews was at the western end of the Strand. The name "Royal Mews" comes from the practice of keepinghawks here formoulting; "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 toBuckingham Palace.[22]
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 ofWilliam Kent. Its site is occupied by the National Gallery.[23]
In 1826 theCommissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues instructedJohn Nash to draw up plans for clearing a large area south of Kent's stable block, and as far east asSt 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 theRoyal Academy of Arts.[24] 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 thechurchyard ofSt Martin-in-the-Fields.[25] The Charing Cross Act was passed in 1826 and clearance started soon after.[24] Nash died soon after construction started, impeding its progress. The square was to be named afterWilliam IV commemorating his accession to the throne in 1830.[26] Around 1835 it was decided that the square would be named after the Battle of Trafalgar as suggested by the architectGeorge Ledwell Taylor, commemorating Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish in 1805 during theNapoleonic Wars.[2][27]
After the clearance development progressed slowly. The National Gallery was built on the north side between 1832 and 1838 to a design byWilliam Wilkins,[24] and in 1837 the Treasury approved Wilkins' plan for the laying out of the square, but it was not put into effect.[28] In April 1840, following Wilkins' death, new plans byCharles Barry were accepted, and construction started within weeks.[24][29] 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 betweenCockspur Street and the Strand,[30] and constructing a 15-foot (4.6 m) high balustraded terrace with a roadway on the north side, and steps at each end leading to the main level.[29] Wilkins had proposed a similar solution with a central flight of steps.[28] All the stonework was ofgranite fromAberdeen.[29] In 1845 fourBude-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, ofSouthwark.[31]
In 1841 it was decided that two fountains should be included in the layout.[32] The estimated budget, excluding paving and sculptures, was £11,000.[29] The earth removed was used to levelGreen Park.[30] The square was originally surfaced withtarmacadam, which was replaced with stone in the 1920s.[33]
Trafalgar Square was opened to the public on 1 May 1844.[34]
Nelson's Column was planned independently of Barry's work. In 1838 a Nelson Memorial Committee had approachedHer Majesty's 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 architectWilliam Railton, who proposed a 218-foot-3-inch (66.52 m)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 145 feet 3 inches (44.27 m).[35] The column was completed and the statue raised in November 1843.[36]
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.[37] Each lion weighs seven tons.[38] A hoarding remained around the base of Nelson's Column for some years and some of its upper scaffolding remained in place.[39] Landseer, the sculptor, had asked for a lion that had died at theLondon Zoo to be brought to his studio. He took so long to complete sketches that its corpse began todecompose and some parts had to be improvised. The statues have paws that resemble cats more than lions.[40]
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".[29]
The square was the target of twosuffragette bombings in 1913 and 1914. This was as part of thesuffragette 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 forwomen's suffrage.[43]
The first attack occurred on 15 May 1913. A bomb was planted in the public area outside the National Gallery, but failed to explode.[44] A second attack occurred at St Martin-in-the-Fields church at the north-east corner of the square on 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.[45][46] In the aftermath a mass of people rushed to the scene, many of whom aggressively expressed their anger towards the suffragettes.[45] Churches were a particular target during the campaign, as it was believed that theChurch of England was complicit in reinforcing opposition to women's suffrage.[47] Between 1913 and 1914 thirty-two churches were attacked nationwide.[48] In the weeks after the bombing, there were also attacks onWestminster Abbey andSt Paul's Cathedral.[43]
A major 18-month redevelopment of the square led byW.S. Atkins withFoster 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.[49][50]
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 theRoyal Society of Arts and continued by the Fourth Plinth Commission, appointed by the mayor of London.[55]
On the south side of Trafalgar Square, on the site of the original Charing Cross, is a bronzeequestrian statue of Charles I byHubert Le Sueur. It was cast in 1633, and placed in its present position in 1678.[59]
Two statues erected in the 19th century have since been removed. One ofEdward Jenner, pioneer of thesmallpox vaccine, was set up in the south-west corner of the square in 1858, next to that of Napier. Sculpted byWilliam Calder Marshall, it showed Jenner sitting in a chair in a relaxed pose, and was inaugurated at a ceremony presided over byPrince Albert. It was moved toKensington Gardens in 1862.[63][64] The other, of GeneralCharles George Gordon byHamo Thornycroft, was erected on an 18-foot-high pedestal between the fountains in 1888. It was removed in 1943 and re-sited on theVictoria Embankment ten years later.[65]
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.[66] 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.[24]
In the late-1930s it was decided to replace the pump and the centrepieces of the fountains. The new centrepieces, designed by SirEdwin 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.[67] The fountains cost almost £50,000. The original centrepieces were presented to the Canadian government and are now located inConfederation Park inOttawa and theWascana Centre inRegina, Saskatchewan.[68][69]
A programme of restoration was completed byMay 2009. The pump system was replaced with one capable of sending an 80-foot (24 m) jet of water into the air.[70] Alight-emitting diode 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 the2012 Summer Olympics.[68]
People sitting on lions and feeding pigeons in the square
The square was once famous forferal 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.[71] 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 ahealth hazard.[72][73] A stall seller, Bernie Rayner, infamously sold bird seed to tourists at inflated prices.[74]
In February 2001 the sale of bird seed in the square was stopped[72] and other measures were introduced to discourage the pigeons including the use ofbirds of prey.[75] Supporters continued to feed the birds, but in 2003 Livingstone enactedbylaws to ban feeding them in the square.[76] In September 2007Westminster City Council passed further bylaws banning feeding birds on thepedestrianised North Terrace and other pavements in the area.[77] Nelson's column was repaired from years of damage from pigeon droppings at a cost of £140,000.[74]
For many years, revellers celebrating theNew 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 fireworks display centred on theLondon Eye andSouth Bank of theRiver Thames has been provided as an alternative. Since 2014 New Year celebrations have been organised by the Greater London Authority in conjunction withUNICEF, who began ticketing the event to control crowd numbers.[78] The fireworks display was cancelled during theCOVID-19 pandemic. An event scheduled to take place in the Square to welcome in 2022[79] was cancelled during the spread of theSARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.[80]
AChristmas ceremony has been held in the square every year since 1947.[81] ANorway spruce (or sometimes afir) is presented by Norway'scapital city,Oslo, as London'sChristmas tree, a token of gratitude for Britain's support during the Second World War.[81] (Prince Olav and the Norwegian government also lived in exile in London throughout the war.)[81]
The Christmas tree is decorated with lights that are switched on at a seasonal ceremony.[82] It is usually held twelve days before Christmas Day. The festivity is open to the public and attracts a large number of people.[83] The switch-on is usually followed by several nights ofChristmas carol singing and other performances and events.[84] On thetwelfth 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.[81]
The tree is selected by the Head Forester from Oslo'smunicipal forest and shipped across theNorth Sea to thePort of Felixstowe, then by road to Trafalgar Square. The first tree was 48 feet (15 m) tall, but more recently has been around 75 feet (23 m). In 1987 several protesters chained themselves to the tree.[81] 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 bytree surgeons who removed gouged sections from the trunk while the tree was suspended from a crane.[85]
The square has become a social and political focus for visitors and Londoners, developing over its history from "anesplanade peopled with figures of national heroes, into the country's foremostplace politique", as historian Rodney Mace has written. Since its construction, it has been a venue for political demonstrations.[50] The greatChartist rally in 1848, a campaign for social reform by the working class began in the square.[50] A ban on political rallies remained in effect until the 1880s, when the emergingLabour movement, particularly theSocial Democratic Federation, began holding protests. On8 February 1886 (also known as "Black Monday"), protesters rallied against unemployment leading to a riot inPall Mall. A larger riot, "Bloody Sunday", occurred in the square on13 November 1887.[86]
Protesting against harassment of photographers under anti-terrorism law, 23 January 2010
Throughout the 1980s a continuous anti-apartheid protest was held outside South Africa House. In 1990 thePoll Tax Riots began by a demonstration attended by 200,000 people and ultimately caused rioting in the surrounding area.[50] More recently there have been anti-war demonstrations opposing theWar in Afghanistan and theIraq War.[88] A large vigil was held shortly after theterrorist bombings in London on Thursday,7 July 2005.[89]
In December 2009 participants from the Camp for Climate Action occupied the square for the two weeks during which the United Nations Conference on Climate Change took place inCopenhagen.[90] It was billed as a UK base for direct action on climate change and saw various actions and protests stem from the occupation.[91][92][93]
In March 2011 the square was occupied by a crowd protesting against the government 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.[94] In November 2015 a vigil against theterrorist attacks in Paris was held. Crowds sang the Frenchnational anthem,La Marseillaise, and held banners in support of the city and country.[95]
The statue of Charles James Napier in Trafalgar Square, London
Every year on the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar (21 October), theSea 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.[96] TheRoyal British Legion holds a Silence in the Square event onArmistice Day, 11 November, in remembrance of those who died in war. The event includes music and poetry readings, culminating in abugler playing theLast Post and atwo-minute silence at 11 am.[97]
In February 2019 hundreds of students participated in a protest against climate change as a part of theSchool strike for Climate campaign. The protest started in the nearbyParliament Square, and as the day went on, the demonstrators moved towards Trafalgar Square.[98]
In July 2020 two members of the protest groupAnimal Rebellion were arrested on suspicion for criminal damage after releasing reddye into the fountains.[99][100]
In September 2020 anti-lockdown protests opposed to the imposition of regulations relating to the coronavirus outbreak took place in the square.[101]
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.[102]
In the 21st century Trafalgar Square has been the location for several sporting events andvictory parades. In June 2002, 12,000 people gathered to watchEngland'sFIFA World Cup quarter-final againstBrazil on large video screens which had been erected for the occasion.[103] The square was used byEngland on9 December 2003 to celebrate their victory in theRugby World Cup,[104] and on13 September 2005 forEngland's victory inthe Ashes series.[105]
On 6 July 2005 Trafalgar Square hosted the official watch party for London's bid to host the2012 Summer Olympics at the117th IOC Session inSingapore, hosted byKaty Hill andMargherita Taylor.[106] A countdown clock was erected in March 2011, although engineering and weather-related faults caused it to stop a day later.[107] In 2007 it hosted the opening ceremonies of theTour de France[108] and was part of the course for subsequent races.[109]
As an archetypal London location, Trafalgar Square featured in film and television productions during theSwinging London era of the late 1960s, includingThe Avengers,[111]Casino Royale,[112]Doctor Who[113] andThe Ipcress File.[114] It was used for filming several sketches and a cartoon backdrop in theBBC comedy seriesMonty Python's Flying Circus.[115] 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.[116]
In July 2011, due to building works inLeicester Square, the world premiere of the final film in theHarry Potter series,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was held in Trafalgar Square, with a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) 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.[117]
The square has seen controversy overbusking andstreet theatre, which have attracted complaints over noise and public safety.[118] In 2012 theGreater London Authority created a bylaw for regulating busking and associated tourism.[119][120] In 2016 the National Gallery proposed to introduce licensing for such performances.[121]
ALego 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 anddouble-decker buses.[122]
Several scenes inGeorge Orwell's dystopian novelNineteen Eighty-Four take place in Trafalgar Square, which was renamed "Victory Square" by the story's totalitarian regime and dominated by the giant statue ofBig Brother, which replaced Nelson.[124]
The square known asChelsea Square, London SW3 was at one time known as Trafalgar Square and predated the one in Westminster.[127]
National Heroes Square inBridgetown,Barbados, was named Trafalgar Square in 1813, before its better-known British namesake. It was renamed in 1999 to commemorate national heroes of Barbados.[128]
There is a life scale replica of the square inBahria Town,Lahore,Pakistan, which is a tourist attraction and centre for local residents.[129]
^"King in Right of the Crown" islegal fiction denoting the land is privately owned by the King and it is legally possible, though unlikely, to be sold to another individual. TheCrown Jewels are under similar ownership.[7]
^Hitler had specifically requested that all ofRembrandt's paintings in the National Gallery be seized as part of the move, as he particularly admired the artist's work.[41]
^abcdefgG. H. Gater (1940). F. R. Hiorns (ed.)."Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery".Survey of London. 20: St Martin-in-the-Fields, pt III: Trafalgar Square & Neighbourhood:15–18.Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved1 March 2012.
^Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003).London 6: Westminster. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press.
^Cunningham, Peter (1849)."London Occurrences 1837–1843".Handbook of London Past and Present. London: John Murray. p. lxv.Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved26 February 2016.
^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 atChatsworth, 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, inGrinling 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", andibidem 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".
^Edward Walford (1878)."Kensington Gardens".Old and New London: Volume 5. Institute of Historical Research.Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved31 October 2011.
"Fourth Plinth". blitzandblight.com. 12 February 2007. Archived fromthe original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved14 September 2016.
Hackman, Gill (2014).Stone to Build London: Portland's Legacy. Monkton Farleigh: Folly Books.ISBN978-0-9564405-9-4.OCLC910854593. Book includes details of the Portland stone buildings around Trafalgar Square, including St Martin in the Fields, the National Gallery and Admiralty Arch.
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