Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square, located in central London is one of Britain's greatest tourist attractions. No matter what time of year, you will see hosts of visitors feeding the multitudes of pigeons. The square was designed by the architect John Nash during the 1820's. Unfortunately he did not live to see his plans realised. It was laid out in 1829 to 1840 to commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The central focus of the neo-classical square is the statue of Nelson that is set on a column measuring 185 feet high. Surrounding the base of the column are four bronze lions by Landseer which are incredibly popular with children. At the side of the square is the church of St Martin's in the Fields which dates back to 1222 and was extensively remodelled by James Gibbs during the 18th century in the Baroque style. The equestrian statue of Charles I at the south end of the square is also worth seeing. It is the original location of Charing Cross. This was the site from which all distances from London were measured. King Edward I erected a cross here in 1290 marking one of the resting-places of the funeral cortege of his wife Eleanor. The cross remained on the spot until it was removed in the civil war in the 17th century.
|
