England: Trafalgar Square, London

April 2012

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early 19th century around the area known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar. The area around Trafalgar Square has been a significant landmark since the 1200s, as distances from London are measured from Charing Cross.

(Wikipedia)

London has a center point, and it is officially Trafalgar Square although for outsiders much ado is made about other places such as Picadilly Circus or the Houses of Parliament. Although Trafalgar is famous, its "center-ness" (for non-Brits) does not seem to be. All roads in England lead to Trafalgar, which for London, is actually not all that old in its current form.

I liked passing through because it holds two of my favorite places in London: the National Gallery and St Martin-in-the-Fields (whose orchestra I love). Anything else on the square for me is just a "bonus". I do like the fact that the square has been the site of many important protests throughout modern UK history. The square is a neutral place to protest - not in front of the Buckingham Palace or the Parliament (or 10 Downing Street), but in a large square that honors a war already relegated to history books.

In a linguistic irony, "Trafalgar" is actually Arabic in origin:

The name "Trafalgar" is a Spanish word of Arabic origin, derived from either Taraf al-Ghar (cape of the cave/laure') or Taraf al-Gharb (extremity of the west).

(Wikipedia)

Trafalgar Square - center of London (and England). Big check.