Welcome to our Trafalgar Square history section. You can skip to subsequent pages using the links below or simply continue reading to start at the beginning.
In spite of its modern name and appearance, Trafalgar Square, in the very heart of the West End of London is no growth of yesterday, and has had a colourful history since it was the playground of the merry 'prentices of the Flete and Chepe.
At one time its surrounding streets were filled with the equipages of the nobility, whose stately residences, with gardens sloping down to the river, lined the Strand from end to end.
The King's Mews or Meuse - the name derived from the mew of the young falcons which shared the shelter of the building with the royal horses - occupied the site of the present National Gallery, and near to it was the state coach house, with a Norman church where St. Martin's now stands, dating from about 1222.