1)The centerpiece of Trafalgar Square is Nelson’s Column, which was built to honor Admiral Horatio Nelson, who led the British to Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson’s Column is 169 ft 3 Inches tall. When they refurbished it in 2006, they discovered that it was actually 14 ft 6 inches shorter than previously thought.
2) The pedestal of Nelson’s Column is decorated with four bronze relief panels, each 18 feet square, which were cast from captured French guns. They depict the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the Death of Nelson at Trafalgar.
3) The fountains in Trafalgar Square, despite their iconic position in the square, are not immune to government directives and in summer 2012, they were shut off for most of the summer due to the prolonged drought in Britain.
4) Trafalgar Square used to be famous as a home for thousands of feral pigeons. A popular activity was to feed them but this made them even more of a pest. So, in 2003 then London Mayor Ken Livingstone declared war on the pigeons and banned feeding them (and the selling of feed near the square). They also employed a hawk to keep them away. Slowly, the square began to depopulate and now it’s pretty much pigeon – and pigeon dropping – free. Also, now that it’s pigeon free, they’re able to hold concerts and public events in the square.
5) Every year a Christmas tree is placed in the center of the Square. It’s the same type of tree every year, a Norwegian Spruce, which is given as a gift from Norway in honor of Britain’s commitment to Norway during World War II. As part of the tradition, the Lord Mayor of Westminster visits Oslo in the late autumn to take part in the felling of the tree, and the Mayor of Oslo then comes to London to light the tree at the Christmas ceremony. As is the Norwegian tradition, the Christmas lights are hung vertically instead of circular around the tree.
6) Trafalgar Square is owned by the Queen in Right of the Crown as part of the Crown Estate and it’s managed by the Greater London Authority, while Westminster City Council owns the roads around the square, including the pedestrianized area of the North Terrace.