The square commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). Admiral Nelson was victorious in a crucial battle against Napoleonic France. The bronze relieves on the pedestal are made from captured French cannons. Admiral Horatio Nelson (top right) won several sea battles against the French preventing French invasion of Britain. He lost his right hand and right eye, and later his life in battle (1805). The National Gallery (bottom right) has mainly Italian Renaissance, Dutch and Spanish collections.
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