3 November 1843 – Nelson’s statue was placed on top of the column in Trafalgar Square, London.

The name of the square commemorates the victory of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson over the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar on the 21st of October 1805. Initially there were no plans for a statue in honor of the admiral. Instead, a statue of King William IV was planned. Eventually, in 1838, it was decided that Trafalgar Square was the ideal place for a monument to Britain's most famous admiral and a competition was organized to select a design for the 'Nelson Testimonial'. 

Landseer Lion

The winner of the competition was William Railton, who proposed a 170ft / 52 meter tall Corinthian column and statue. The column was built between 1841 and 1843. On top of the column stands an 18ft (5.5 meter) tall statue of Lord Nelson, created by Edward Hodges. At the base of the column are four huge lions modeled by Sir Edwin Landseer. They were added later, in 1868.
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