As the sun set, the gang made their way to Trafalgar Square which commemorates the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. At its center is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson led the the British navy to many victories, but was killed while commanding the British fleet during the Battle of Trafalgar. He remains one of Britain's favorite sons.
The square used to be famous for its feral pigeons, and feeding them was a popular activity with Londoners and tourists. The desirability of the birds' presence has long been contentious: their droppings look ugly on buildings and damage the stonework, and the flock, estimated at its peak to be 35,000, was considered to be a health hazard.
Even Elizabeth Taylor couldn't resist feeding the birds here. Still, in 2000, the sale of bird seed in the square was controversially terminated and other measures were introduced to discourage the pigeons, including the use of trained falcons. Supporters of the birds – including Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons – as well as some tourists continued to feed the birds, but in 2003 the then-Mayor, Ken Livingstone, enacted byelaws to ban the feeding of pigeons within the square and then later in the surrounding areas. There are now few birds in Trafalgar Square.
The metal used for sculpting the lions at the base of the column is said to have been recycled from the cannon of the French fleet.
The square attracts 15 million visitors a year, many of whom brave climbing up onto one of the lion's back (about 9 feet off the ground). Grandma learned during her tour the other day that these are the world's most sat-upon lions in the world.
The lions' sculptor, Sir Edwin Landseer, had never seen a real lion and so he used his dogs as a model, or so the story goes. Their paws do resemble those of dogs and even the mouth and tongue look more canine than feline.
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