This book explores the origins and achievements of the men and women who have made “Britain’s beating heart” a resonant symbol of art, architecture, and democracy at work.

Home to Nelson’s Column, Landseer’s lions, Lutyens’s fountains, the National Gallery, and St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square has long been defined, cartographically and emotionally, as Britain’s beating heart. This famous landmark has multiple roles: a national showcase; a political soapbox; an architectural and sculptural gallery; and a default venue for national expression. Its stories are rich and varied, from its controversial inception to its transformation in the post-war era as a focus for both celebration and dissent. Trafalgar Square belongs to the people, not to the Crown, and it is not only the nation’s heart, it is also its soul. This book explores contemporary accounts and recent research in social history, architectural history, and human geography to analyze the square’s genesis, development, and maturity. Including archival prints and illustrations, it shows how this space developed over the centuries to the central focus it has now become. Each chapter includes a critical review of the site’s structures and sculptures and covers key architects, artists, patrons, embassies, and protests.