Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
THE FOURTH PLINTH
The
fourth plinth
, in the northwest corner Trafalgar Square, was originally earmarked for an
equestrian statue of William IV. In the end, it remained empty until 1999, since when it has
been used to display works of modern sculpture, which are changed annually (
W
london.gov
.uk/fourthplinth). Highlights have included: Rachel Whiteread's inverted plinth; Marc Quinn's
Alison Lapper Pregnant
, a nude statue of a woman without arms - a larger, inflatable version of
which appeared in the 2012 Paralympics opening ceremony; Antony Gormley's
One & Other
,
where several thousand individuals each had an hour to occupy the plinth; and Yinka
Shonibare's
Ship in a Bottle
.
Nelson's Column
Raised in 1843, and now one of London's best-loved monuments,
Nelson's Column
commemorates the one-armed, one-eyed admiral who defeated the French at the
Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but paid for it with his life. The sandstone statue which
surmounts a 151-foot granite column is more than triple life-size but still manages to
appear minuscule. The acanthus leaves of the capital are cast from British cannons,
while bas-reliefs around the base - depicting three of Nelson's earlier victories as well
as his death aboard HMS
Victory
- are from captured French armaments. Edwin
Landseer's four gargantuan
bronze lions
guard the column and provide a climbing
frame for kids (and demonstrators).
Keeping Nelson company at ground level, on either side of the column, are bronze
statues
of Napier and Havelock, Victorian major-generals who helped keep India
British; against the north wall are busts of Beatty, Jellicoe and Cunningham, admirals
from the last century. To the right of them are the imperial standards of length -
inch, foot and yard - “accurate at 62 degrees Fahrenheit”, as the plaque says, and still
used by millions of Brits despite the best efforts of the European Union. Above this is
an equestrian statue of George IV (bareback, stirrup-less and in Roman garb), which
he himself commissioned for the top of Marble Arch, but which was later erected
here “temporarily”.
South Africa House and Canada House
There's an unmistakable whiff of empire about Trafalgar Square, with
South Africa
House
erected in 1935 on the east side, complete with keystones featuring African
animals, and a gilded springbok.
Canada House
, constructed in warm Bath stone
on the opposite side of the square, was built by Robert Smirke in the 1820s as a
gentlemen's club and home for the Royal College of Physicians. It retains much
of its original Neoclassical interior, and is now in the hands of the Canadian
High Commission.
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square • Mon, Tues & Fri 8.30am-1pm & 2-6pm, Wed 8.30am-1.15pm & 2-5pm, Thurs 8.30am-1.15pm & 2-6pm, Sat
9.30am-6pm, Sun 3.30-5pm • Free •
T
020 7766 1100,
W
stmartin-in-the-fields.org •
!
Charing Cross
At the northeastern corner of Trafalgar Square stands the church of
St Martin-in-the-
Fields
, fronted by a magnificent Corinthian portico and topped by an elaborate tower
and steeple, designed in 1721 by James Gibbs - it was subsequently copied widely in
the American colonies. The barrel-vaulted interior features ornate, sparkling white
Italian plasterwork and is best appreciated while listening to one of the church's
free
lunchtime concerts
(Mon, Tues & Fri) or ticketed, candle-lit evening performances.
As the o
cial parish church for Buckingham Palace, St Martin's maintains strong
royal and naval connections - there's a royal box on the left of the high altar, and one
for the admiralty on the right. Down in the newly expanded
crypt
- accessible via an
entrance north of the church - there's a licensed
café
(see p.367), shop, gallery and
brass-rubbing centre
.
