Trafalgar Square is one of London’s most iconic public spaces, built in the 1840s to commemorate Admiral Nelson’s 1805 naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson’s Column rises 169 feet at its center, guarded by four bronze lion statues, with two dramatic fountains and a backdrop of grand institutional architecture.
The square is flanked by the National Gallery, home to over 2,300 Western European paintings including works by Van Gogh and Turner, and St Martin-in-the-Fields church. The fourth plinth in the square’s northwest corner hosts a rotating contemporary art commission, a tradition running since 1999.
Trafalgar Square is also London’s traditional gathering point for New Year’s Eve celebrations, protests, and public events, and sits within easy walking distance of Covent Garden, the Strand, and Westminster.
