Trafalgar Square

London's most famous square was laid out in 1829 to 1841 to commemorate Admiral Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (off the coast of Spain) in 1805 . The square was designed by Sir Charles Barry and is situated on the old site of the Royal Mews which was moved to Buckingham Palace.

Surrounding the sides of the square are the National Gallery (built 1838), which houses one of the world's richest collections of paintings, to the north, the church of St Martin's in the Fields on the NE corner, South Africa House (built 1935) to the east and Canada House (built 1827) on the west side.

In 2003, the road that ran across the northside of the square in front of the National Gallery was pedestrianised, creating an impressive new public space in the heart of London.

Georgraphical Centre of London

The equestrian statue of Charles I at the south end of the square was built in 1633 and marks the geographical centre of London – it is the place from which all distances from London are measured.

This site was also the original site of the Charing Cross. In 1290, Edward I erected a cross here which was the last of twelve crosses he erected to mark the resting places of the funeral cortege of his wife Eleanor as it made its way from Nottinghamshire to Westminster Abbey. The cross remained on this spot, until its removal during the civil war in the mid 17th century. A replica was placed in the forecourt to Charing Cross station two centuries later.

Nelson’s Column

Dominating the square, on a column that is 185 feet high, is the 17 foot high statue of Admiral Horatio Viscount Nelson. Around the base of the column are the four large bronze lions designed by Landseer.

Fourth Plinth

The fourth plinth on the northwest corner was intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained empty due to insufficient funds. Later, agreement could not be reached over which monarch or military hero to place there and it remains empty to this day. In 1998, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) conceived the idea of the Fourth Plinth Project, which sought to temporarily occupy the plinth with a succession of works commissioned from three contemporary artists.

Admiralty Arch

Leading from the southwest corner of Trafalgar Square into The Mall, this quintuple arched ceremonial gateway takes its name from the nearby Royal Navy headquarters, though the Arch itself has no naval association. Admiralty Arch was designed in 1910 by Sir Aston Webb to provide an elegant ceremonial passage from the hectic Trafalgar Square towards Buckingham Palace. The massive central arch is only opened for state occasions. The Arch was originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria, though Edward did not live to see the work completed. The arch was commissioned as part of the Victoria Memorial development scheme for which Sir Aston Webb also widened The Mall and provided the gilt statue of Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace.