Editing Trafalgar Square (section)

=== Clearance and development ===
[[File:Perspective View of the Royal Stables at Charing Cross - J. Maurer, 1747 - grosvenor11544.jpg|thumb|right|Kent's Royal Stables, with the Great Mews in the foreground, in 1747. (To the right is St Martin-in-the-Fields.)]]
After 1732, the King's Mews were divided into the Great Mews and the smaller Green Mews to the north by the Crown Stables, a large block, built to the designs of [[William Kent]]. Its site is occupied by the National Gallery.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=29}}

In 1826 the [[Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues]] instructed [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] to draw up plans for clearing a large area south of Kent's stable block, and as far east as St Martin's Lane. His plans left open the whole area of what became Trafalgar Square, except for a block in the centre, which he reserved for a new building for the [[Royal Academy of Arts]].<ref name=survey /> The plans included the demolition and redevelopment of buildings between St Martin's Lane and the Strand and the construction of a road (now called Duncannon Street) across the churchyard of [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]].{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=37}} The Charing Cross Act was passed in 1826 and clearance started soon after.<ref name=survey /> Nash died soon after construction started, impeding its progress. The square was to be named after [[William IV]] commemorating his ascent to the throne in 1830.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=176}} Around 1835, it was decided that the square would be named after the Battle of Trafalgar as suggested by architect [[George Ledwell Taylor]], commemorating Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish in 1805 during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=934}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TBOcU1WXEcC&q=%22trafalgar+square&pg=PA209|title=Wanderlust: Based on the true-life journals of Sydney Taylor|first=Marc|last=Cardinal|publisher=AuthorHouse|page=209|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4490-7907-9}}</ref>

[[File:Trafalgar Square 1890 - ten remaining frames by Wordsworth Donisthorpe.gif|thumb|alt=Animated picture using ten frames taken by Wordsworth Donisthorpe|Ten frames of Trafalgar Square shot by [[Wordsworth Donisthorpe]] in 1890]]
After the clearance, development progressed slowly. The National Gallery was built on the north side between 1832 and 1838 to a design by [[William Wilkins (architect)|William Wilkins]],<ref name=survey>{{cite journal|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national |title=Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery |author=G. H. Gater |editor=F. R. Hiorns |year=1940 |pages=15–18 |journal=Survey of London |volume=20: St Martin-in-the-Fields, pt III: Trafalgar Square & Neighbourhood |access-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406184042/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=68408&strquery=wilkins%20trafalgar%20square%20national |archive-date=6 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 1837 the Treasury approved Wilkins' plan for the laying out of the square, but it was not put into effect.<ref name=am>{{cite journal|journal=The Architectural Magazine and Journal|volume=4|year=1837|page=524|title=Design for a national Naval Monument}} quoting the ' 'Observer' ' of 24 September 1837</ref> In April 1840, following Wilkins' death, new plans by [[Charles Barry]] were accepted, and construction started within weeks.<ref name=survey /><ref name=report /> For Barry, as for Wilkins, a major consideration was increasing the visual impact of the National Gallery, which had been widely criticised for its lack of grandeur. He dealt with the complex sloping site by excavating the main area to the level of the footway between [[Cockspur Street]] and the Strand,<ref name=ce>{{cite journal |year= 1840|title=Public Buildings &c Trafalgar Square|journal=The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal |volume=3 |page=255}}</ref> and constructing a {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=on}} high balustraded terrace with a roadway on the north side, and steps at each end leading to the main level.<ref name=report /> Wilkins had proposed a similar solution with a central flight of steps.<ref name=am /> All the stonework was of Aberdeen [[granite]].<ref name=report /> In 1845, four [[Bude-Light]]s with octagonal glass lanterns were installed. Two, opposite the National Gallery, are on tall bronze columns, and two, in the south-west and south-east corners of the square, on shorter bronze columns on top of wider granite columns. They were designed by Barry and manufactured by Stevens and Son, of [[Southwark]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Bude Lights, Trafalgar-Square|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etBPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA284 |magazine=The [[Illustrated London News]] |volume=6 |date=3 May 1845 |page=284 }}</ref>

In 1841 it was decided that two fountains should be included in the layout.{{sfn|Mace|1976|p=107 }} The estimated budget, excluding paving and sculptures, was £11,000.<ref name="report" /> The earth removed was used to level [[Green Park]].<ref name="ce" /> The square was originally surfaced with [[tarmacadam]], which was replaced with stone in the 1920s.<ref name="westminster">{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=Simon|last2= Pevsner|first2=Nikolaus |title=London 6: Westminster |series=The Buildings of England |year= 2003 |publisher=Yale University Press }}</ref>

Trafalgar Square was opened to the public on 1 May 1844.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cunningham|first1=Peter|title=Handbook of London Past and Present|date=1849|publisher=John Murray|location=London|page=lxv|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKoxAQAAIAAJ&pg=PR65|chapter=London Occurrences 1837–1843|access-date=26 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310043118/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yKoxAQAAIAAJ&pg=PR65&dq|archive-date=10 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>