Trafalgar Square has been at the heart of London life for over a century and a half, yet it also has international significance. This unique book explores Trafalgar Square, London's first open square, as a focus for protest, celebration and political statement through the development of photography, which coincidentally originated at the same time as Trafalgar Square itself. The momentous events that have taken place in the square have been captured by some of the world's leading photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Don McCullin and Terence Donovan. A pivotal centre for political protest and national celebration, Trafalgar Square has also provided a dramatic backdrop for fashion shoots, by photographers such as Norman Parkinson and John French, and celebrity portraits, including a well-known shot of Elizabeth Taylor feeding the pigeons. Roger Hargreaves's lively text presents Trafalgar Square's social and cultural history as seen through the eye of the camera.

Roger Hargreaves is the Education Officer for Photography at the National Portrait Gallery, where he recently curated the highly successful exhibition Circling the Square at the National Portrait Gallery. Don McCullin is one of the greatest photographers of conflict in our time and is a Londoner with a deep personal attachment to Trafalgar Square.