TRAFALGAR SQUARE (London)

Hi my dear friends, I'm here again and today we're going to look at one of the most famous squares in London, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, next month in Spain there is a "long weekend" so it could be a good idea to travel to London!

Hola mis queridos amigos, aquí estoy otra vez y hoy vamos a mirar a una de las plazas más famosas de Londres, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, el mes que viene en España hay un "puente" así que podría ser una buena idea viajar a Londres.

Photo: english-heritage.uk


TRAFALGAR SQUARE - More than the centre of London.

**Why is Trafalgar Square so famous?  This square is dedicated to a famous victory: Admiral Lord Nelson's defeat of the French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805.  In fact, Nelson's statue is on a  high plinth (pedestal) in the middle of the square.

**Why do we say that this square is in the centre of London? Because it is its exact location! It is bordered by the  National Gallery, the church St. Martin-in-the-Fields, The Mall and the government offices of Whitehall.


**This famous place is a meeting point for many people every day! A lot of celebrations are held there too, for instance, on New Year's Eve although nowadays people prefer to go and see the London Eye fireworks display across the Thames.  Other important celebrations are St. Patrick's Day and St. George's Day.

**However, Trafalgar Square is also a popular place for protesters and strike scenes.

**A curiosity: In the square you can see "The smallest police station in the world". It was opened in 1926 and it was inside an old monument and at the time it had a direct telephone line to Scotland Yard! Nowadays this little monument has a less glamourous use:"It is a broom cupboard" (un armario para artículos de limpieza).

**Despite the protest manifestations and riots (one of them last year against the government cuts in education) Trafalgar Square is a peaceful tourist attraction and you can often attend  "free concerts".

**Moreover, you can go for a walk until "10th Downing Street", "the Houses of Parliament" "Westminster Abbey" and to the west of the square you can reach "Buckingham Palace" too.

**In the north-west corner of the square you'll find "The Fourth Plinth" which has no permanent statue.  In 1998, The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce started a series of temporary exhibitions on the plinth.  The Mayor of London continues the tradition and this year's sculpture is of a boy on a rocking horse (caballito balancín). Its creators explain that they wanted to create a sculpture which honoured the everyday battles of growing up (crecer).


MORE INFO: www.london.gov.uk  and www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/

HAVE A NICE DAY MY FRIENDS!

SEE YOU!