The National Gallery, on the left, with the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields beyond. This is on the terrace above the square which is down some steps out of the picture to the right.

The earliest reference to the church is from 1222 with a dispute between the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London as to who had control over it. The church was rebuilt in 1542 and at this time, it was literally "in the fields" in an isolated position between the cities of Westminster and London.

The church survived the Great Fire of London which did not reach as far as the City of Westminster, but was replaced with a new building in 1726.

Whilst the square was being laid out the newspapers of the time began asking what it was for and it soon became apparent that the authorities didn't know but it was just that someone had thought that a big square would be a good idea.

Various suggestions were proposed none of which were popular and it wasn't until four years after the square had been laid out that someone suggested a memorial to Nelson. That suggestion was very popular and was quickly accepted.

A close view of one of the fountains showing the National Gallery and the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields at the back.

The original purpose of the fountains was not aesthetics, as you might imagine, but to reduce the open space available and the risk of riotous assembly. You weren't thinking of rioting were you?

In the south-western corner of Trafalgar Square is Admiralty Arch and you really can't miss it. On the far side of the arch is the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace.

Completed in 1912 it adjoins the Old Admiralty Building hence its name. It is no longer used as government offices.

Make your way from here to Northumberland Avenue to the east.