Top 10 facts about Trafalgar

There are 15 Trafalgar Squares in the UK listed on streetmap.co.uk

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought 210 years ago today on October 21, 1805.

1. At the battle, 27 British ships led by Admiral Nelson defeated 33 French and Spanish ships. 

2. The French and Spaniards lost 22 ships in the battle; all the British ships survived. 

3. The French were commanded by Pierre-Charles Villeneuve who was captured along with his ship. He attended Nelson’s funeral shortly after. 

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought 210 years ago

4. The battle was fought off Cape Trafalgar in Spain. The name Trafalgar comes from the Arabic for cape of the west or cape of the cave. 

Nelson ordered his ships to be painted yellow and black to distinguish them from the enemy

5. Trafalgar Square in London was built between 1820 and 1845 as part of a redevelopment of the Charing Cross area. 

6. It was going to be called King William the Fourth’s Square before the surveyor and architect George Ledwell Taylor suggested Trafalgar. 

7. In March 2015, the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square became the first major British museum to ban selfie sticks. 

Trafalgar Square in London was built between 1820

8. There are 15 Trafalgar Squares in the UK listed on streetmap.co.uk, from Cornwall to Cumbria.

9. Nelson ordered his ships to be painted yellow and black to distinguish them from the enemy. 

10. Nelson’s column is 169ft 3in tall. Until 2006, it was thought to be 14ft 6in higher.