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Trafalgar Square, the main hub of Central London, was built in honour of Admiral Nelson after his victory in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar, off
the coast of Spain. John Nash designed it in the 1830's. The centre piece is Nelson's column, which supports a 18ft statue of Nelson
on the top.
Four bronze lions by Edwin Landseer stand at the base of the column. Since the square was laid out there as been one empty plinth. In 2003 the redevelopment of the north side of the square was completed. The work involved demolishing part of the wall and building a wide set of stairs. This construction includes two Saxon scissor lifts for disabled access, public toilets, and a small café. Plans for a large staircase had long been discussed, even in original plans for the square. The new stairs lead to a large terrace or piazza in front of the National Gallery, in what was previously a road. Previously access between the square and the Gallery was via two busy crossings at the north east and north west corners of the square. The pedestrianisation plan was carried out in the face of protests from both road-users and pedestrians concerned that the diversion of traffic would lead to greater congestion elsewhere in London. However, this does not seem to have happened; the reduction in traffic due to the London congestion charge may be a factor. Trafalgar Square was used as the location for portions of at least two sketches from the BBC comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus. In a continuation of the sketch "Collecting Birdwatchers' Eggs", several people in tan trenchcoats wandered around the square mocking the famous pigeons. The sketch "Olympic Hide and Seek" also started here. This sketch featured Graham Chapman as British contestant Don Roberts and Terry Jones as Francisco Huron, his competitor from Paraguay in a contest that ended in a tie after more than 11 years. Chapman caught a taxi near the base of Lord Nelson's Column at the beginning of the sketch. London Hotels near Trafalgar Square with online reservations: Thistle Trafalgar Square, Whitcomb Street, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2H 7HG Radisson Edwardian Hampshire, 31-36 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LH Thistle Charing Cross, The Strand, London, WC2N 5HX Thistle Piccadilly, Coventry Street, London, W1D 6BZ Thistle Royal Horseguards, 2 Whitehall Court, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EJ Citadines Apart'hotel Trafalgar, 18-21 Northumberland Ave, London, WC2N 5EA Best Western Premier Shaftesbury Hotel, 65 - 73 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6EX More hotels |
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