NELSON'S COLUMN (That's Lord Nelson, not Lord Nielsen)

On Tuesday, December 30th, we'll be traveling to Trafalgar Square, the junction of some of the busiest streets in London. Nelson's Column is the center point of the intersection. The column was built between 1840 and 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The 18 ft statue of Nelson stands on top of a 151 ft granite column. The statue faces the Admiralty, with the Mall on his right flank, where Nelson's ships are represented on the top of each flagpole.

The top of the Corinthian column is decorated with bronze acanthus leaves cast from British cannon.

The monument was designed by architect William Railton in 1838. The sandstone statue at the top was sculpted by E.H. Baily, a member of the Royal Academy. The entire monument was built at a cost of roughly $6.1 million US dollars.


The four lions, by Sir Edwin Landseer, at the column's base were added in 1867.

Nelson's Column faces South and on the north side of the square is the National Gallery.

On the lawn in front of the National Gallery are two statues, James II to the west of the entrance portico and George Washington to the east. The latter statue, a gift from the state of Virginia, stands on soil imported from the United States. This was done in order to honour Washington's declaration he would never again set foot on British soil.