The name Trafalgar Square references the 1805 Battle of
Trafalgar. What is now the square once housed the Royal Mews, until King George
IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace in the 1820s. John Nash was asked to
develop the site, but he died and work progressed very slowly. In 1830 the site
was going to be called King William IV Square after his accession that year.
Finally in 1835, the 30th anniversary of Trafalgar, it was decided
to name the square Trafalgar Square, and include a memorial to Nelson. One can
guess that the owner of the square, King William must have been enthusiastic,
bearing in mind that he had been a brother officer and a personal friend of
Nelson during his own time in the Navy.
The Square wasn’t opened until 1844. Its most well known
feature is Nelson’s Column, a 145 feet tall Corinthian Column topped with
Edward Hodges Baily’s statue of Nelson. This has become one of London’s most
iconic and recognisable landmarks. The base of the statue is flanked by four
pedestals, each bearing a bronze statue of a lion, sculpted by Sir Edwin
Landseer.
Throughout its history Trafalgar Square has see a huge
number of mass gatherings and demonstrations. It became the unofficial focus of
London New Year celebrations, and I remember dancing in the fountains on New
Years Eve in the early 80s very fondly. I remember the 2 hour walk home sopping
wet less fondly. The Square is still home to a large number of pigeons. Up
until the 21st century feeding the pigeons in the square was seen as
an essential component of any visit to London. Then people began to realise the
public health risk of a gathering of 35,000 pigeons in such a small space.
Feeding the pigeons has been banned since the early 2000s.
There are four plinths surrounding the square. Three of
them have permanent statues – George IV, General Charles Napier and General
Henry Havelock. The fourth plinth was unoccupied until the 21st
century, since when it has been used for temporary displays of sculpture by
some of the leading names in contemporary sculpture in the UK and the rest of
the world.
Let’s come back to Nelson. In July 2020 protestors in the
city of Bristol pulled down a statue of the 17th/18th
century trader Edward Colston. The statue was supposedly erected by a grateful
city, as a way of memorialising his charitable support of almshouses, churches,
workhouses and schools. The protestors’ argument was that in our modern,
multicultural Britain, glorifying a man who organised and greatly benefited
from the Slave Trade is untenable. to me, tha makes sense, bearing in mind that
the city authorities seem
This action focused public attention on the question of
public memorials to men associated with the slave trade, and Nelson’s Column
became the subject of public debate. This is a question which leads to very
heated views on all sides. The older generation as a rule don’t even want to
discuss it – my mother and stepfather both being examples. Look, I’m a Londoner
myself, and I get an emotional buzz whenever I see an iconic image of the city
like the column. But. . .
Symbols matter. Images matter, and the messages that they
convey matter.
Now, as I understand it Nelson did not own slaves. As far
as I know Nelson did not trade in slaves. Okay. However, he was certainly
opposed to Wilberforce’s campaign to abolish the slave trade, and he seems to
have been very friendly and protective towards the slave owning elite in the
west Indies. I’m not saying this in itself means we should convict him and tear
his statue down at once. But I am very much saying it is at least grounds for a
constructive public debate on the subject. If Nelson was as great a hero as his
defenders think he is then his reputation will survive any amount of public
debate. But if he wasn’t, then we certainly should be discussing it.
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