This column's statue is of Lord Nelson, one of three British commoners to have a state funeral. The other two were Winston Churchill and Philip Sydney (Mary Sidney's brother).
Nelson was Admiral of the British Royal Navy in 1805 at the battle of Trafalgar, where 27 British ships defeated 33 French and Spanish ships. The French and Spanish lost 22 ships and the British lost none. Nelson, however, was killed in battle. The battle changed Napoleon's plans to invade England. Nelson remains England's biggest naval hero.
Trafalgar Square is at the entrance to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.
