Trafalgar Square commemorates Britain’s victory over France in 1805
In the centre of the square stands Nelson’s Column, at 170 feet tall. Buildings surrounding the Square include South Africa House, Canada House, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (both FREE admission) and St Martin-in-the-Fields church.
Even back in the eleventh century, the square was a traffic junction. And until 2000, the square had never been completed. While on the right hand side of it (in front of the National Gallery) there was a statue of George IV on horseback, until recently no statue had been placed on the corresponding plinth on the opposite corner. It is now used for rotating modern art displays.
In front of Nelson’s Column, on a traffic island at the top of Whitehall, which also marks the site of the old Charing Cross, stands a statue of Charles I on horseback. It was deliberately positioned here by his son, Charles II, to look down Whitehall to the spot where his father had been executed (in front of Banqueting House.)
See Trafalgar Square on the royal walk and self-guided bus tour