The area now occupied by Trafalgar Square was cleared of its' old stables and mews in 1830, by John Nash, but it was not until 1840 that it was paved as a public space by Sir Charles Barry. Later, it was named after Nelson's greatest victory.
It quickly became the centre of London and all measurements of distance from London are taken from the statue of Charles I.
George IV
The statue of King George IV was originally intended to stand on top of Marble Arch, then located in front of Buckingham Palace, but it wasn't required when the Marble Arch was moved., so it ended up here as a temporary measure originally - and here it remained. The impressive equestrian statue was sculpted in bronze in 1843 by Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey. The king died in 1830, before the statue was completed.
The northernmost plinth
in Trafalgar Square has been an empty throne for quite a long time – around 160
years, home to no one until the first of the numerous public art installations
was launched in 1998. It has since garnered international attention for its
diverse commissions often dealing with contemporary issues.
One of the four plinths
standing on each corner of Trafalgar Square, the Fourth Plinth (as its name
suggests) was the last to be completed, designed by Sir Charles Barry and built
in 1841. On these plinths stand the statues of Henry Havelock, Charles James
Napier, and George III, and the fourth was originally to follow suit, intended
to hold an equestrian statue of King William IV.
The project, however,
was called off due to insufficient funds, and the plinth remained bare. In
1998, RSA—the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and
Commerce—commissioned three art projects to be temporarily installed on the
plinth, starting with Mark Wallinger's Ecce Homo, a life-size
marble sculpture of a hairless Jesus.
Following the project's
conclusion in 2001, a new commission was conceived by the Mayor of London's
Culture Team. This was headlined by Marc Quinn's torso-bust of Alison Lapper,
an artist who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a condition
called phocomelia. It then went on to hold a new art installation almost every
few years, including Yinka Shonibare's Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, Katharina
Fritsch's Hahn/Cock, Michael Rakowitz's The Invisible Enemy
Should Not Exist., and Antelope by Samson Kambalu, a sculptural
reenactment of the last known photograph of John Chilembwe, a Baptist pastor
who led Nyasaland's (unsuccessful) uprising against British colonial rule in
1915.
Over the years, the
Fourth Plinth has become one of the most famous public art spaces in the world.
But outside the art world, its background is not so widely known and many pass
by the area while oblivious to its fascinating history.
With the recent passing
of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, there was talk that a statue would be erected in
her honour on the Fourth Plinth. However, a spokesperson for the organization
that oversees the undertaking and selection, says that there are already artists
lined up for the next half decade.
Probably
the most iconic of all London’s cats, the Trafalgar Square lions were installed
in 1868 and designed by Edwin Landseer.
The four lions arrived a full 25 years after Nelson’s Column.
Originally they were meant to be carved by Thomas Milne, but his were deemed
not suitable or grand enough (ouch!) They didn’t go to waste though, Milne’s
were bought by Titus Salt and can still be seen today in Victoria
Hall, Saltaire.
So Edwin Landseer got the commission, despite not being a sculptor. Clearly he was eager to do a good job because he spent years sketching before even attempting the casting process – something he outsourced to Baron Marochetti. So eventually (actually, a full 10 years after the commission) they were unveiled.
In 1824 the British
government purchased a collection of 38 paintings from the estate of a wealthy
insurance broker named John Julius Angerstein, paying 57,000 for the
collection. From this small start, one of the world's great collections of fine
art was born.
Just two years later the
painter Sir George Beaumont offered his collection of art to the nation on the
condition that a suitable venue could be found for their display. The Beaumont
and Angerstein collections were put on display together in Angerstein's former
townhouse at 100 Pall Mall.
The quarters were much
too cramped to adequately display the artwork, but in 1838 a new building in
neo-classical style was built on the north side of Trafalgar Square, on the
site of the King's Mews.
The design was by
William Wilkins, who incorporated bits of the older Mews in his new building.
It is possible that the columns on the east and west porticos came from nearby
Carlton House, which was pulled down in 1828. The Royal Academy of the Arts shared
the Trafalgar Square space until 1869 when it moved to a new building in
Piccadilly.
Though the facade of
Wilkins' building is relatively intact, the rest of the Gallery structure has
been altered numerous times over time as the art collections grew larger and
more space was needed. The present Galley covers over 46,000 square metres - about
the size of 6 football pitches.
The location in
Trafalgar Square was an interesting choice; it was considered easy to access on
foot by lower classes from London's East End, and by the wealthier classes
arriving by carriage from the west. The Gallery's mission was to make art free
and accessible to all, and not become a venue purely for the privileged
classes.
Yet for all those noble
motives, the Gallery had no official acquisition policy; works of art were
purchased solely on the personal interests of the Trustees. This practice
changed from 1855, and the Gallery started an ambitious campaign to collect
early Italian art. Then in 1871 they bought 77 works, mainly Dutch and Flemish,
from the estate of Sir Robert Peel, the late Prime Minister.
The real windfall came
when JMW Turner left over 1000 of his watercolours, sketches, and paintings to
the Gallery. The collection was so large that at first it had to be put on
display elsewhere until space could be created at the Gallery!
This temporary measure
to display British art away from the Trafalgar Square site led to the eventual
creation of the Tate Gallery in Millbank as a separate venue solely
for British artwork. Though there are numerous examples of British paintings at
the National Gallery, including works by Turner, Constable, Gainsborough, and
more, many of the finest works of British art are now on display at the Tate
and the National Portrait Gallery.
There are approximately
2300 works of art on display at the National Gallery, plus regular touring
exhibits of art from other major galleries around the world. The collections
are organised by time period, into 4 large groupings; the 13th-15th century collections
are on the second floor, while galleries of 16th century, 17th century, and
18th to early 20th-century art are on the first floor.
There are extremely good
maps of the galleries available, so you can opt to go straight to the time
period you are interested in, or simply browse at your leisure.
With so many wonderful paintings on display, it is hard to choose what to see.
Perhaps the most famous single painting in the National Gallery collection is Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, painted in 1888 as part of a series of 4 intended to decorate the room of fellow artist Paul Gaugin at Arles.
The Gallery, along with
funding from Samuel Courtauld, Gilbert Russel, and others, decided that they
would adorn the floors leading into their galleries with works of art in their
own right. They commissioned the Russian immigrant, Boris Anrep (1883 - 1969),
to create four individual ceramic tiled pieces. The entire project lasted
from 1926 - 1952.
Starting from the
Trafalgar Square entrance and moving into the gallery the first set of mosaics
is located on the halfway landing. This piece is entitled The Awakening
of the Muses and was opened in 1933.
In total, there are 11
figures, each with the face of a particular individual with whom Anrep
associated. These belong to the infamous crowd known as the Bloomsbury
Group. Some of the faces are quite recognizable, for instance; Virginia Woolf
as Clio, Muse of History, and Greta Garbo as Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy.
From here the panels are
located in three different directions. On the left is the West Vestibule where
one will find The Labours of Life, completed in 1928. This consists
of 12 occupations, including art, farming, and theatre. One the other side
is The Pleasures of Life, finished in 1929. These incorporate 12
different activities, like conversation, hunting, and speed. These two
groupings were meant to illustrate the themes of work and leisure.
The final group of
mosaics can be found at the top of the North Vestibule. This work is known
as The Modern Virtues, and was opened in 1952. There are 15
attributes, including compassion, lucidity and wonder. The face of Winston
Churchill appears as defiance.
Anrep has
personally described these mosaics as being a philosophical cycle of life. His
image can be found on the North Vestibule, in a segment entitled Here I
Lie. Depicted as a tomb bearing the family crest, along with the image of a
hammer and trowel.
Anrep was one of the
foremost mosaicists working in Britain during the 20th century. About two dozen
of his works can also be seen in and around London, including Tate Britain
(Blake Room), Bank of England, and in Westminster Cathedral, (Chapel of the Blessed
Sacrament). He is also known for pieces in Dublin and Russia.
National Portrait Gallery
Not strictly speaking in
Trafalgar Square but just around the corner from the National Gallery. When I walked round the corner this morning, I was confronted with an enormous portrait of Grayson Perry. Well, you either like him or you don't, but for sure, you can't ignore him!
The National Portrait
Gallery was founded in 1856 with twin aims; the appreciation of men and women
who have made and are making British history, and the appreciation and
understanding of portraiture in all media. That latter bit of the mission
statement explains why you will see not only paintings, but sculpture,
sketches, miniatures, and what we might sweepingly call 'multi-media' art
objects on display.
Galleries are loosely
arranged by time period into 7 main collections, with separate areas for Tudor
and Elizabethan, Stuart and Civil War, Georgian, Regency, Victorian and
Edwardian, 20th Century, and Contemporary.
Each of these collections is further broken down into themed rooms. For example, the Stuart and Civil War collection has themed rooms covering Early Stuart Britain, Charles I and the Civil War, Science and the Arts in the 17th century, Charles II: The Restoration of the Monarchy, and The Later Stuarts.
A lot of paintings of the Tudor court were by 'An Unknown Artist'. This points to a fascinating bit of social history; at that time period the artist was not as important as the subject. It was not until centuries later that we start to see 'big name' artists become the pop stars of their age.
The National Portrait
Gallery holds the largest collection of portraits in the world. Portraits are
displayed not only at the Gallery in London, but at several regional venues and
stately homes around Britain. A very large collection of medieval and Tudor
portraits are held at Montacute House in Somerset, and several other National
Trust properties around the country also hold smaller collections.
Edith Cavell Monument
Just past the National Portrait Gallery, in St Martin's Place, is a monument to a very brave lady.
Edith Cavell was born in 1865 the daughter of a Norfolk rector, and executed by a German firing squad for spying in 1915. Her martyrdom belied a life of hard work as a nurse.
During World War I, she worked in occupied Belgium for the Red Cross, treating wounded soldiers from both sides. Later, she was involved with smuggling wounded soldiers out of the country.
The frontage is topped by a cooper working his craft on a balcony high up on the corner. Upstairs you can find the lounge, named the “Opera Room” after the English National Opera at the nearby London Coliseum
It has a special place in the history of Fijian troops in World War one. The original bar was carved with names of the troops serving here.
Smallest Police Station.
You can find London’s smallest police
station tucked away in the southeast corner of Trafalgar Square. But you can
also be forgiven for missing it: It looks more like a neoclassical Tardis than
a police station, and there won’t be a crowd of tourists gathered around it,
merrily snapping away on their cameras.
Though the Lilliputian cop shop is not among London’s most
popular visitor attractions, it’s certainly unique. It was built in the 1920s
to serve as a watch-post and eye on Trafalgar Square, which has been a magnet
for London’s protesters, rioters, and marchers (plus, for many years,
pigeons). Inside, there’s only room for a single person.
In its heyday, the station was fully prepared for even the
most passionate protests. It had a direct telephone line to Scotland Yard and
castle-style slits in the walls to allow the single officer to keep an eye
on any rioters. When the officer picked up the phone to call for backups, the
light atop the tiny station would flash like a beacon, signalling to other
nearby officers. Sadly, if you peer through the windows these days, you won’t
see a bored bobby—just lots and lots of mops. The station is now used as a
storeroom for cleaners.
This iconic London landmark traces its history back to at
least the early 13th century. Our first record of a church here comes from 1222
when the Bishop of London and the Abbot of Westminster squabbled over who had
rights over the church. The case was heard by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who
sided with the monks of Westminster, and from that date the abbey made regular
use of St Martins.
The name may seem odd to modern visitors, but in the early
medieval period the area around Trafalgar Square was indeed nothing but farm
fields, so St Martins was quite literally 'in-the-fields'.
In 1542 Henry VIII rebuilt the medieval church and extended
its parish. He was not moved by altruism but wanted to stop plague victims
being carried through the grounds of St James Palace. Henry's church was
enlarged again in 1607 by Prince Henry, son of James I. The church survived the
Great Fire of London, but in 1721 it was pulled down to make way for the
elegant neoclassical building we see today.
It was replaced in 1726 by this lovely temple, designed by
James Gibbs, which boasts an imposing Classical pediment supported by huge
Corinthian columns, and a tall steeple topped with a gilt crown. Gibbs was
certainly inspired by Christopher Wren, as the interior, with its ceiling of
painted and gilded plaster panels, shows.
St Martin-in-the-Fields is a beautiful 18th-century Baroque
church famous for the classical orchestra of the same name (The Academy of St
Martin-in-the-Fields). There are very popular lunchtime concerts throughout the
week.
One of the most influential vicars of St Martins was Dick Sheppard, vicar during World War One. Sheppard used the church to offer a haven for soldiers travelling to the conflict in France. His vision of St Martins as ‘the church of the ever open door’ became a lasting philosophy. It is so refreshing to visit St Martins and find the doors open wide, inviting one and all to find refuge from the business of Trafalgar Square outside.
Now, those tablets in the crypt............couldn't snap all of them, but did some of the most interesting/most attractive/best carved.
This one is in memory of Johanna, eldest daughter of John Miller (deceased) of Nether Wallop in the County of Southampton. What?
Hampshire, historically known as the County of Southampton (or Southamptonshire), is a ceremonial county on England's south coast, often abbreviated as Hants. While officially named the County of Southampton until 1959, it takes its name from the city of Southampton, with Winchester as the county town. Well I never!
Her mother, having been widowed, went on to marry Lord Henry Powlet (c.1602-1672) of Nether Wallop, sometime Colonel of the Royal Horse and Member of Parliament for Andover.
The Paulet marquesses of Winchester were known for their adherence to Catholicism, as was the family of this Member’s first wife. Despite this, there is no evidence that Paulet himself was a Catholic. He was returned to the second Caroline Parliament for Andover, seven miles from the family property of Nether Wallop. A few days after attending Charles I’s Coronation, at which he was created a knight of the Bath, he was seriously injured in a brawl with Sir William Stourton, occasioned by rumours that he was keeping a mistress. The affair was hushed up, but Paulet may never have taken his seat in Parliament or left Hampshire again.
In the Civil War Paulet was commissioned by the king to raise a regiment of horse, and was captured at the fall of Winchester in December 1642. He was assessed at £4,000 (no doubt in respect of his elder brother’s estate) by the committee for advance of money, but managed to escape sequestration. He improved his interest at Andover by the acquisition of Amport in around 1649. He drew up his will on 29 Aug. 1671, thanking God for ‘sparing me so long and giving so gracious a time to repent’. He left a portion of £1,800 to an unmarried daughter, and a lease in Bishop’s Waltham to a younger son, Henry. He died on 11 May 1672 and was buried, in accordance with his wishes, in Winchester Cathedral. His elder son Francis Powlett represented Andover in four parliaments between 1679 and 1695.
There you are you see, you never know where my hunting will take me.
Henry Croft
Hidden in the labyrinthine crypt-turned-café beneath St.
Martin-in-the-Fields is the gravestone of Henry Croft, “the original Pearly
King.” The life-sized (albeit quite minute) statue stands along a wall in a
narrow passageway, tucked away from the visitors munching on their cafe meals.
Croft was born in 1861 in St. Pancras Workhouse. He grew up
in an orphanage, and at the age of 15, took a job as a street sweeper, a job he
kept for the rest of his life. It was on the job that he met the
“costermongers,” street vendors who hawked their wares from simple carts. These
vendors sometimes wore “flash boy outfits,” which were suits modestly adorned
with mother-of-pearl buttons.
Croft liked this look and adopted the style, though he
himself wasn’t a costermonger. He also enhanced the look, creating a suit
covered with flashy pearls. He began using the title “Pearly King” and used his
bedazzled outfits to draw attention to himself while raising money for
charities.
Croft started appearing at fêtes and fairs, collecting money
for charity and wearing his pearly suits. He’d either don a so-called
"smother suit" covered in thousands of buttons or a "skeleton
suit" with symbols like horseshoes, anchors, and wheels created in
buttons. His appearance became so popular that he was asked to appear at more
events than he could handle on his own, so he asked his friends for help.
This, according to legend, is how the Pearly Kings and Queens
were born. The tradition of the London “Pearlies” survives today. You
can still see people clad in pearl-covered clothing doing charity work to this
day.
But though the tradition Croft started is still going strong,
the statue of him feels forgotten, looking more like it’s in storage than out
on display. Croft's real grave can still be found in the St. Pancras and
Islington Cemetery, where the statue depicting Croft in his smother suit was
originally revealed in 1934 (four years after his death, because the stone
mason wasn't paid on time). In the 1990s, after the marble statue was
repeatedly vandalized, it was cleaned up and relocated to its current spot.
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