Trafalgar: London's Most Famous Square

London is a city full of landmark squares. Without a doubt, the best-known is Trafalgar Square (Tube: Charing Cross), which honors one of England's great military heroes, Horatio Viscount Nelson (1758-1805). Although he suffered from seasickness all his life, he went to sea at the age of 12 and was an admiral by age 39. Nelson was a hero of the Battle of Calvi in 1794, where he lost an eye; the Battle of Santa Cruz in 1797, where he lost an arm; and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where he lost his life. He is also famous for his affair with Lady Hamilton, the subject of books and films (including That Hamilton Woman, with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh).

The square is dominated by the 44m (145 ft.) granite Nelson's Column, built by E.H. Baily in 1843. The column looks down Whitehall toward the Old Admiralty, where Lord Nelson's body lay in state. The figure of the naval hero towers 5m (17 ft.) high -- not bad for a man who stood 5'4" in real life. The capital is of bronze cast from cannons recovered from the wreck of the Royal George, which sank in 1782. Queen Victoria's favorite animal painter, Sir Edward Landseer, added the four lions at the base of the column in 1868. The pools and fountains weren't added until 1939; they were the last work of Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Political demonstrations take place in the square and around the column, which has the most aggressive pigeons in London. Much of the world focuses on the square via TV cameras on New Year's Eve, watching crazy revelers jumping into the chilly waters of the fountains. The giant Christmas tree that's installed here every December is an annual gift from Norway to the British people, in appreciation of Britain's sheltering the Norwegian royal family during World War II. The tree is surrounded by carolers most December evenings. Year-round, street performers (now officially licensed) will entertain you in hopes of receiving a token of appreciation for their efforts.

To the southeast of the square, at 36 Craven St., stands a house that was occupied by Benjamin Franklin from 1757 to 1774. On the north side of the square rises the National Gallery, constructed in the 1830s. In front of the building is a copy of a statue of George Washington by J.A. Houdon.

To the left of St. Martin's Place is the National Portrait Gallery, a collection of portraits of famous Brits -- from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Nell Gwynne, Margaret Thatcher, and Lady Diana. Also on the square is the steeple of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the final resting place of Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Hogarth, and Thomas Chippendale.