Trafalgar Square is the gathering site of many, constructed
in the late 1800’s, it has become a square to connect crucial streets in London.
The project began by the Prince Regent, standing in for his ill father, George
IV, who was ambitious and young. He wanted to use streetscape and architecture
to rethink the area. He wanted to provide a great entryway to the palace area.
The demographics of that location was characterized by upper class. This is
further evident because the area was Westminster, the head of politics. To the
east of Trafalgar square was the working class. To the north was Soho. Soho was
an extension of what was in the city. Through the centuries, carpenters and
workers soon moved to Soho. The prince wanted to intervene in this part of
London because he wanted accessibility for member of nobility and upper class.
He wanted to isolate the working class, who in fact would use the space to
express opposition to power.
In 1793,
monarchy was uprooted in France. So the Prince Regent wanted to express power,
addressing to the working class that there was an invisible boundary. The king,
by constructing Trafalgar Square, had two motives in mind: embellish the area
and provide a grand entrance so diplomats did not have to use the river to
come, and to separate different sections of society. Trafalgar square comes
from the name of the battle against France, showing that they are winning to
capitalize on the victory.
John Nash was commissioned by the Prince Regent to first survey the site. Nash returns with reports in 1812 that categorize the northern parts of London to be infested with the poor, and southern areas to house the rich. He proposes to build a street that is modeled on the Roman concept of a straight wide boulevard/avenue that leads into the seat of power. He wants to get rid of the north area. So, in 1813 they begin the process of building Trafalgar square by first building certain building to mark the square, such as the Union club. Chronologically, Nash first begins to mark the boundaries of the square before moving into the finer details of the project such as the fountains and the stairs. The finer details are also a class boundary. This is because the large fountains are placed to disrupt great gatherings of crowds to revolt against king. The curating of Trafalgar square also shows that Nash was very interested in urban planning and looked to Wren for inspiration. He is interested in the scale of the project, and has royal backing. The square further marginalizes class by placing buildings for the upper class around the square. The Union club, a gentleman’s club, back in the day, was only accessible to the wealthy. Likewise, the National Gallery was a museum that housed the spoils of Great Britain’s victory over other nations around the world, colonization. Though the museum is free of charge, it has a particular audience geared toward the educated individuals.
John Nash was commissioned by the Prince Regent to first survey the site. Nash returns with reports in 1812 that categorize the northern parts of London to be infested with the poor, and southern areas to house the rich. He proposes to build a street that is modeled on the Roman concept of a straight wide boulevard/avenue that leads into the seat of power. He wants to get rid of the north area. So, in 1813 they begin the process of building Trafalgar square by first building certain building to mark the square, such as the Union club. Chronologically, Nash first begins to mark the boundaries of the square before moving into the finer details of the project such as the fountains and the stairs. The finer details are also a class boundary. This is because the large fountains are placed to disrupt great gatherings of crowds to revolt against king. The curating of Trafalgar square also shows that Nash was very interested in urban planning and looked to Wren for inspiration. He is interested in the scale of the project, and has royal backing. The square further marginalizes class by placing buildings for the upper class around the square. The Union club, a gentleman’s club, back in the day, was only accessible to the wealthy. Likewise, the National Gallery was a museum that housed the spoils of Great Britain’s victory over other nations around the world, colonization. Though the museum is free of charge, it has a particular audience geared toward the educated individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment