What is Trafalgar Square?
[[File:Trafalgar Fountain July 06.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The Trafalgar fountain]] '''Trafalgar Square''' is in the middle of [[London]] and is a large pedestrian square that is bounded on three sides by roads. It serves as a refuge and a major [[traffic]] intersection. Important roads go from the square: [[Whitehall]] goes to [[Palace of Westminster|Parliament]], the [[Mall]] goes to [[Buckingham Palace]] and the [[Strand, London|Strand]] goes to the [[City of London]]. The square is also close to [[Covent Garden]] and [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross station]] and [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross station]].<ref>Mace, Rodney 2005. ''Trafalgar Square: Emblem of Empire'' (2nd ed). London: Lawrence and Wishart. ISBN 978-1-905007-11-0</ref> More than 15 million people go to visit there every year. It contains a large statue of Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]. The square celebrates the [[Battle of Trafalgar]], which was fought in 1805, and contains [[Nelson's Column]], a statue of Nelson mounted on a tall column, with four statues of [[lion]]s around it. The column is 56 m tall, and the statue is 5 m tall. The [[National Gallery, London|National Art Gallery]] is one of several important buildings facing the Square. A point in Trafalgar Square is regarded as the official centre of London in [[legislation]], and when measuring distances from the capital.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml Where Is The Centre Of London?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817141948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/08/15/charingcross_feature.shtml |date=17 August 2010 }} BBC</ref> == Uses == The square is visited by many tourists, mainly for pleasure and relaxation. There are, however, meetings and [[demonstration]]s in the square. When the square was first built, demonstrations were banned. The ban lasted until the 1880s, when the new [[labour movement]] started to hold demonstrations. One group that did so was the Social Democra