Trafalgar Square

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Trafalgar Square is a famous place in the city of London, England. It is visited by many tourists. It is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, fought in 1805. Trafalgar Square is the heart of London The square contains Nelson's Column, a statue of Lord Horatio Nelson mounted on a tall column, with four statues of lions around it, the column is 56 meters tall while the statue is 5 meters tall. Trafalgar Square also contains many pigeons. The British National Art Gallery is there.

[change] Political Demonstrations and Public Celebrations

Since it was first built people have been holding demonstrations in Trafalgar Square. Demonstrating in the square has often been banned.

Demonstrations started to be banned in the month of March after Nelson's column was built. First Chartist meetings in the square were banned. Then all demonstrations were banned. People kept to the ban until the 1880s when people involved in the new Labour movement start to hold demonstrations. One important group that did this was the Social Democratic Federation.

On "Black Monday", 6 February 1886, there was a major demonstration about unemployment and it led to a riot in Pall Mall.

There were demonstrations in the 1980s against South African apartheid. In 1990 there were riots against the Poll tax. In the 2000s there have been demonstrations against the Iraq war.[1]

In recent years the square has become a gathering place for celebrations. When England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003 thousands of fans gathered in the square. This public festivities again happened when London won it's bid to hold the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

The Square was also scene to a large vigil held soon after the terrorist bombings in London on Thursday 7 July 2005.