Police Post
The fountains in the square were installed to stop unruly political demonstrations. Before then, this police box near Nelson’s Column, connected by phone to Canon Row police station, kept an eye on any crowds. Now a cleaner’s store, the light on top is not from Nelson’s HMS Victory, as some guides might tell you.
They say if you stand in Trafalgar Square long enough, you will meet everyone you know (the same might be said of New York’s Times Square). While you’re waiting, you might like to look out for some of these oddities that many people miss.
Tube: Charing Cross
Trafalgar Square 1 2
Imperial Measures
Sitting on the steps below the National Gallery to eat their sandwiches, many tourists unknowingly rest their feet on the standard Imperial measures of length, set into the granite paving in brass. Here’s where you can check the length of a perch, a pole, a chain or a yard. The UK completed its legal transition to metric units in 1995.
Centre of London
On a busy traffic island below Trafalgar Square is a statue of King Charles I (oddly, looking towards the place he was beheaded in Whitehall). It’s on a site once occupied by Queen Eleanor's Cross (a replica of which is in front of Charing Cross station). A brass plaque tells you this is where all distances to London are measured from.
Nelson’s Spare Nose
This pink nose stuck in the grey granite of Admiralty Arch (look inside the arch taking traffic out of The Mall) is said to be a spare for Nelson in Trafalgar Square, or a tribute to the Duke of Wellington, famous for his large nose.
However, see the Seven Noses of Soho for a more likely explanation: an eccentric artist.
Sailor, Nelson's Column
On the south of Nelson’s Column is a relief showing his death at Trafalgar in 1805. On the left of the dying Nelson is a black crewman holding a musket and searching the enemy rigging for the French sniper who shot him. There were 18 nationalities on board HMS Victory, including nine West Indians and one African.
Any comments - or a suggestion for a London secret? Please e-mail me.
Trafalgar Square Fountains
Look carefully around the dolphins to spot the sharks. Replacing earlier designs by Sir Charles Barry, these fountains commemorate World War I naval heroes, Earls Jellicoe and Beattie. Started before World War II, they were finished in 1948. The fountains were first built to reduce the size of rioting crowds in the square.
