The Heart of Trafalgar Square
Nelson's Column is literally the heart of Trafalgar Square London. This dedication
to Admiral Nelson, who was one of Britain's best-loved sea faring heroes. Born
in 1758, he was made commander in chief of the British fleet in May 1803. This
great man fought valiantly for his country many times and won many notable
naval battles, at the personal cost of losing an arm and one eye. Admiral Horatio
Nelson's last and most famous battle was fought off the Spanish cape of Trafalgar,
where he defeated Napoleon and the French and Spanish fleets. Sadly, during
it he lost his life, dying aboard H.M.S. Victory.
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Sailing on his flagship, Victory, he went in search of the French. He first found the French fleet at Toulon, but somehow they managed to slip away from him. Nelson then chased the French to the West Indies and back in to European waters. It was more than two years before Nelson was able to bring the French fleet to battle off Cape Trafalgar on the coast of Spain, on Oct. 21, 1805. Nelson hoisted his famous signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty." With only 27 vessels, he attacked the combined French and Spanish fleets. One of the great naval battles of all time followed. Napoleon's fleet, which had 33 warships, was destroyed.
The Admiral was wounded at the height of the battle. He was carried below with a sharpshooter's bullet in his spine. Admiral Horatio Nelson died 21 October 1805 during the battle, but he did live long enough to know that the British fleet had won the fight. Defeating the combined French and Spanish fleets. Nelson's last words were, "Thank God I have done my duty." He was fittingly buried in St Paul's Cathedral, London.
After Nelson's death, he became such a hero in the United Kingdom that the government decided to commemorate both the importance of the battle and the popularity of its victor. The Nelson Memorial Committee was founded in 1838. It was to raise money for a memorial to Nelson and to invite people to design an appropriate monument. The architect William Railton won the commission later that year.
His proposal and model had a gray marble base, but showed some details not featured
in the finished monument, Nelsons column in Trafalgar Square. It had an additional
flight of steps in front of the monument. Any visitor would have had to walk
up this flight to reach the foot of the monument. Its history includes being
damaged during the blitz, and loaned to the Museum in 1958 by a London steeplejack
who had bought the model from a stonemason some years earlier. It was recently
put on display at the National Maritime Museum in April 2001
Such a monument as Nelson's column needed a place to embrace it. The main commercial districts of the city of London are built around the two squares of Trafalgar and Piccadilly. Between 1829 and 1843, John Nash designed London's most famous square. Around the sides of the square are the church of St Martin's in the fields and the National Gallery which houses one of the world's richest collections of paintings.
Begun in 1840, it took three years to erect Nelsons column. Dominating the square, on a column that is over 180 feet high, is an 18-foot high statue of Nelson himself. Acanthus leaves, cast from British cannons decorate the top, and at the base are four bronze relief panels cast from armaments captured from the French. These panels depict the four great victories of Admiral Nelson. Interestingly, in 1843, just before Nelson's statue was placed on the top of the column, 14 stonemasons held a dinner on the flat top of the supporting column. The four great lions at the base of the column - like four great guardians - guard it. These were a late addition in 1868. They were cast in bronze and designed by Edwin Landseer.
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An earlier attempt was made to build a commemorative monument to Lord Nelson,
but it occurred in Dublin. The councilors realizing that they had to improve
the quality of residential life on the north side of the river Liffey decided
to build a pillar to Lord Nelson and new post office. The choice to commemorate
Nelson in Dublin was not surprising, as he had spent some years of his youth
in the city. It was erected in 1808. The architect Francis Johnston designed
the Doric column, while the Cork sculptor Thomas Kirk made the Portland stone
statue. But, on March 8, 1966, an explosion destroyed the upper half of the
pillar, and its rubble was taken to the East Wall dump, while the lettering
from the plinth was moved to the gardens of Butler House, Kilkenny. The area
was then simply paved over.
Nelson's column Trafalgar Square remains to this day and the square is overrun daily by pigeons. It is a major stop on the tourist's walk through London. Although one can not see any specific detail of the statue, it still impresses the viewer, because it can be seen from a great distance and the streets of Whitehall and Charing Cross flow from it.
The United Kingdom was the principal naval power of the 1800's, but it was not winning the land war. The French emperor, Napoleon, knew that he had to beat the British at sea if he wanted his blockade to be effective and then overcome the British. Thus, it forced Napoleon to a naval battle, which he lost. The winner was the latest in a long line of great British naval commanders, Admiral Nelson. The victory at Trafalgar off the coast of Spain in 1805 instituted a Pax Britannica and began her domination of the world during the XIXth Century.
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