Gumjoy Trafalgar Square Walk

King George IV
Look again at this flattering statue by Francis Chantrey of King George IV and you’ll notice he has no stirrups. The king was obese - he was called the Prince of Whales - and he started the fashion of wearing trousers, rather than tight breeches, to hide his weight.

Imperial Measures
Sitting on the steps below the National Gallery to eat their sandwiches, many tourists unknowingly rest their feet on the standard Imperial measures of length, set into the granite paving in brass. Here’s where you can check the length of a perch, a pole, a chain or a yard.


Smallest Police Station
The fountains in the square were installed to stop unruly political demonstrations. Before then, near the foot of Nelson’s Column, the world’s smallest police station (now a cleaner’s store) kept an eye on any crowds. The light on top is not from Nelson’s HMS Victory, as some guide books might tell you.




Sir Henry Havelock
By Behnes (1861), this is the first statue to have been based on a photograph. Major-General Havelock served in Afghanistan, Burma and India where he died of dysentry in 1857.
A ‘Havelock’ is the cloth that hangs from the back of a kepi to protect the neck from sunburn.






Nelson's Column










Centre of London
On a busy traffic island below Trafalgar Square is a statue of King Charles I (looking towards the place he was beheaded). It’s on a site once occupied by Queen Eleanor's Cross (a replica of which is now in front of Charing Cross station) and is the place from which all distances to London are measured.



Sir Charles James Napier
By George Adams (1855). Napier was a veteran of the Peninsular War against Napoleon and of the War of 1812 against the United States. In 1840, fighting in India, he captured Sind - against orders - supposedly sending the news with the double pun: ‘Peccavi’ - Latin for ‘I have sinned’.




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