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Did you know? Trafalgar Square iconic home to the National Gallery has served many roles over the centuries

November 2024

We all recognize Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery as its famous backdrop but this iconic square has served many roles over the centuries.  

Image credit: © Selldorf Architects

When the National Gallery added the Sainsbury Wing in 1991, it introduced Jubilee Walk—a pathway linking Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square. Yet long before this addition, the area had entirely different purposes.

Image credit: © The National Gallery, London

Once home to King Richard II’s Royal Mews, the square was used to house hunting hawks and later converted into stables. As part of the build, recent excavations began for a link connecting the Sainsbury Wing to the rest of the building at underground level, while also enhancing the public spaces around the square. Intriguingly, these excavations have unearthed artifacts from ancient London.

Image credit: © Archaeology South-East/UCL

A team of archaeologists from Archaeology South-East, part of UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, discovered remnants of Lundenwic, a 7th-century Saxon settlement that once thrived with trade. Their findings included a hearth, postholes, and ditches, which mark property boundaries dating as far back as 659–774 AD. Above these ancient layers, post-medieval walls, likely from the 17th or 18th century, were also unearthed, revealing a history of reconstruction that continued right up through the 19th century.

This discovery has shown to us that the enriching history of the National Gallery does not start and stop at the collection that hangs inside its walls.

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