Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square takes its name from the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's great naval victory over the French in 1805. Appropriately, the dominant landmark here is his famous column, a 145-ft-high granite perch from which E.H. Baily's 1843 statue of Nelson (1758-1805), one of England's favourite heroes, keeps watch; three bas-reliefs depicting his victories at Cape St. Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, and Copenhagen (and a fourth, his death at Trafalgar itself in 1805) sit around the base. All four bas-reliefs were cast from cannons he captured. The four majestic lions, designed by the Victorian painter Sir Edwin Landseer, were added in 1867.
Frequented by pigeons, rollerskaters and New Year revellers, Trafalgar Square is also a favourite haunt of art lovers, being home to Britain's National Gallery. A permanent collection of over 2,300 paintings spanning 700 years of Western European art history (from 1260-1900), the National Gallery is the jewel in London's cultural crown. Some of the world's most famous paintings are housed here, among them van Gogh's 'Sunflowers', van Eyck's 'The Arnolfini Marriage', Leonardo da Vinci's 'Virgin of the Rocks' and the ever popular 'Haywain' by Constable.
