This is one of the nerve-centres of London. It was named Trafalgar Square to commemorate the historical naval victory won on the 21st of October 1805 by the British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson over the combined French-Spanish fleet commanded by Villeneuve. The battle took place at Cape Trafalgar in the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar and lasted several hours. Nelson was fatally wounded by a shot which broke his backbone. He died on board his flagship the Victory, but not before being told that he had won the battle.
Nelson’s Column, with the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson on top, rises in the center of Trafalgar Square. This most impressive monument is 170 feet tall. The statue of Nelson, placed facing towards the sea he loved, measures 17 feet in height.
To the north-east of Trafalgar Square there is the building that houses the National Gallery of Art – one of the most important Art Galleries in the world – and behind is the National Portrait Gallery.
Quite often the square becomes the location for meetings and in it crowds of Londoners congregate to celebrate political rallies. So it can be said that Trafalgar Square is the heart from which the beat is emitted to all the London ers.
There are many pigeons in the square and Londoners like to feed them. Everybody knows that the dove is the symbol of peace all over the world.
Trafalgar Square
This is one of the centers of London. The square was named Trafalgar to commemorate the historic naval victory of the English fleet under Horatio Nelson over the mixed Franco-Spanish fleet under Villeneuve on October 21, 1805. The battle took place off Cape Trafalgar at the mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar and lasted several hours. Nelson was mortally wounded by a shot that shattered his spine. He died aboard his flagship Victoria, but not before being told that he had won the battle.
Nelson's Column, with a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson on top, stands in the center of Trafalgar Square. This is the most impressive monument, standing 170 feet tall. Nelson's statue faces the sea he loved so much and is about 17 feet high.
To the north-east of Trafalgar Square is the building where the National Gallery Arts is one of the most important art galleries in the world, and behind it is the National Portrait Gallery.
Very often the square becomes a meeting place, and crowds of Londoners gather here in the event of political debates. Thus, we can say that Trafalgar Square is the heart whose beat is transmitted to all Londoners.
There are a lot of pigeons in the square, and Londoners love to feed them. Everyone knows that the dove is a symbol of world peace.
Trafalgar Square, set in central London, is one of Britain's great tourist attractions. A visit to the capital would be incomplete without going to marvel at Nelsons Column and the four giant lions at its base, or to admire the lovely splashing fountains and to feed the pigeons, who have made their home here. Built to commemorate Admiral Nelson, the square was named after the Spanish Cape Trafalgar where his last battle was won.
It was John Nash, who designed the first layout of the square in the 1820"s. Although he didn"t live to see its completion, his Neo-classical design was adhered to, achieving the unified effect of the beautiful buildings we admire today . Building of the square began in 1829 and was still being developed into the 1840's.
The National Gallery occupies the north side of the square. In the stone under the balustrade, you can see the Imperial Standards of Length (1 foot, 2 feet, 1 yard etc.).
On the east side is South Africa House, with African animals featured on the stone arches. Sir Robert Smirke, who designed The British Museum, also created Canada House, on the west side. Now open to the public, Canada House is worth a visit to enjoy the original classical interior, and to see the interesting changing exhibitions on view. Visiting Canadians may be interested in knowing that they can read the Canadian newspapers, browse on line, or send and receive emails in Canada House.
The chartists assembled in Trafalgar Square in 1848 and since then, it has been a favorite meeting place for demonstrators and marchers, trying to gain attention for their cause.
Each year in December the people of Norway send a gift of an enormous Christmas Tree to Britain, which is erected in Trafalgar Square. This is in thanks for Britain's part in their liberation during the second world war. One of the unforgettable sights of London is to see the giant tree after dark, when it is lit by hundreds of twinkling fairy lights, carol singers grouped around, while floodlights illuminate the sparkling water in the fountains of the square. This picture is depicted on many Christmas cards, sent all over the world each year.
The equestrian statue of Charles I at the south end of the square is noteworthy, as being the original site of Charing Cross. This is the spot from which all "distances from London" are measured. Edward I erected a cross here in 1290, the last of twelve marking 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.
Surrounding Nelson are statues of other distinguished men. On either side, are the bronze statues of Sir Henry Havelock and Sir Charles James Napier both Victorian major generals. Fronting the north wall are busts of Beatty, Jellicoe and Cunningham all famous military leaders. In the north east corner, is a statue of George IV on horseback, commissioned by him, while in the opposite corner the pedestal does not yet have a permanent statue.
One of the main tourist centers of London and the whole of Great Britain is Trafalgar Square, the main square of London where most of the country's official celebrations and holidays are held.
It is here that the main city Christmas tree of the country is installed on the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays.
History of Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square was not always the center of London; until the beginning of the 19th century, the royal stables were located on this site. King Edward I decided to dismantle the stables and build a square on this site; initially the square bore his name.
Architect Charles Bury designed the square; its theme was dedicated to the victory of the English fleet in 1805 in the battle of Cape Trafalgar.
Attractions of Trafalgar Square
Nelson's Column
In the very center of the square there is a monument to the legendary admiral - a column topped with a five-meter tall figure of Horatio Nelson. The 44-meter column was installed in 1842; it was made by sculptor William Railton from dark gray granite.
A quarter of a century later, four six-meter lions by Landseer appeared around the column, which in an allegorical form symbolize the victories of the English fleet under the command of Nelson. The height of each lion reaches 6.5 meters.
The column is decorated with bas-reliefs with scenes of the battles at Cape St. Vincent (1797), and Abukirsky (1798), in the battles of Copenhagen (1801) and Trafalgar (1805). It is characteristic that the bas-reliefs are made of metal obtained by melting down cannons from defeated ships .
Monument to Charles I
In the southern part of the square there is a bronze monument to Charles I sitting on a horse. During the Civil War, after the execution of the king, Cromwell ordered the destruction of the statue, but the royalists preserved the monument, and in 1675, during the reign of Charles II, it was restored to its original location. Every year on January 30, on the day of the king's execution, a wreath is laid at the monument.
The Charles I Monument is the starting point for all London distances; it is located in central point London.
Trafalgar Square sculptures
Today, at the four corners of the square there are four pedestals that were installed in 1841.
Three of them are crowned by monuments: to King George IV, General Charles James Napier and General Henry Havelock. All these monuments were created and installed at the numerous requests of the townspeople.
Fourth pedestal
The history of the fourth pedestal is interesting. It was empty until 2005; the first sculpture placed on the pedestal was an image of a pregnant disabled artist Alison Lapper. Two years later, it was replaced by an installation of colored glass by German sculptor Thomas Schütte, called “Hotel Model.”
In 2009, for a hundred days, from early July to mid-October, an action was held in London (during) on the fourth pedestal, the “One and Another” action was held, initiated by the sculptor Antony Gormley.
Ordinary Britons stood on the pedestal, replacing each other every hour, 2,400 people tried themselves in the role of “living sculpture”.
On May 24, 2010, a model of the flagship Victory, on which the legendary Admiral Nelson was mortally wounded, was installed on the pedestal. The model is made on a scale of 1:30, the author of the work is a British artist, a native of Nigeria, Yinka Shonibare.
Pigeons in Trafalgar Square
One of the attractions of the square, along with the magnificent fountains, until recently were thousands of pigeons. The pigeons were fed by numerous tourists and London residents, and bags of pigeon food could be purchased here in the square.
Soon the number of birds became alarming, with up to 35 thousand individuals flocking to the area at the same time. City Administration spent up to 160 thousand British pounds per year on cleaning the area and cleaning monuments from bird droppings. In addition, such a concentration of birds could threaten human health.
On September 10, 2007, London Mayor Ken Livingstone banned bird feeding in the square and today there are almost no pigeons left.
How to get to Trafalgar Square
The square (Trafalgar Square) is located in the center of London in the Westminster area, at the intersection of three streets - the Mall, the Strand and Whitehall.
Transport:
Buses 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 87, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176, 453; (1 GBP with an Oyster pass or 8 40 GBP daily pass)
Charing Cross, Embankment, Leicester Square tube stations (2 GBP with an Oyster pass or 8 40 GBP daily pass).
The square is a must-visit place for tourists. In addition to the square itself, the nearby London National Gallery (open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, admission is free), as well as the Church of St. Martin in the Fields and the Admiralty Arch are of interest. There are several foreign embassies nearby.
Topic Trafalgar Square will introduce you to one of the many attractions of the UK capital. This central square London, on which stands a column with the figure of Admiral and Lord Horatio Nelson - who died heroically after his victory over the combined Spanish-French flotilla at Cape Trafalgar at the mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar on October 21, 1805. Nowadays, many Londoners gather in Trafalgar Square and political rallies are held.
This is one of the nerve-centres of London. It was named Trafalgar Square to commemorate the historical naval victory won on the 21st of October 1805 by the British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson over the combined French-Spanish fleet commanded by Villeneuve. The battle took place at Cape Trafalgar in the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar and lasted several hours. Nelson was fatally wounded by a shot which broke his backbone. He died on board of his flagship the Victory, but not before being told that he had won the battle.
Nelson’s Column, with the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson on top, rises in the center of Trafalgar Square. This most impressive monument is 170 feet (about 52 m) tall. The statue of Nelson, placed facing towards the sea he loved, measures 17 feet (more than 5 m) in height.
To the north-east of Trafalgar Square there is the building that houses the National Gallery of Art – one of the most important Art Galleries in the world – and behind is the National Portrait Gallery.
Quite often the square becomes the location for meetings and in it crowds of Londoners congregate to celebrate political rallies. So it can be said that Trafalgar Square is the heart from which the beat is emitted to all the Londoners.
There are many pigeons in the square and Londoners like to feed them. Everybody knows that the dove is the symbol of peace all over the world.
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London is home to many wonderful attractions that are of great importance to the culture and arts of not only Great Britain, but the whole world. Most of them are related to history. These are monuments, squares, majestic buildings. Every language learner should be able to describe the sights of London in English.
Sights of London in English
Big Ben
- one of the landmarks of London, which is considered a symbol of this city. This is not only what many associate with, but also the largest watch in the world.
To describe this landmark of London, you can use the following words:
| Delight the eye | Pleasing to the eye |
| Be named after | Named after |
| The most famous | The most famous |
| Amazing | Amazing |
| Masterpiece | Masterpiece |
| Impressive clock | Impressive watch |
| clock tower | Clock tower |
How to describe the London landmark Big Ben in English:
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