A public square in London honoring the victor in a military battle will be the site of the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two.
In a March 2011 press release, London mayor Boris Johnson said Trafalgar Square “befits a great British triumph,” a phrase which perfectly describes the Harry Potter books and films. In the same press release, Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros. UK, said the square will “lend itself to being a magical experience” for those in attendance at the final premiere of the Potter films.
The square was named for a navy admiral and has a historical background dating to the middle ages.
Admiral Horatio Nelson And The Battle of Trafalgar
Horatio Nelson, Vice Admiral of the White, Royal Navy, was born in 1758. He enlisted in the English Navy at age 13, and became captain at age 20.
In 1805, determined to prevent Napoleon from invading England, Nelson led two small fleets of ships against a large group of French and Spanish fleets near Cape Trafalgar. His men celebrated several victories and a significant loss: they lost none of their ships, the French and Spanish were defeated, and Nelson’s actions led to British domination of the seas; while Admiral Nelson died from gunshot wounds.
A 165-foot (50 meters) column topped with a statue of Nelson is on the south side of Trafalgar Square.
From Stables To Public Rallies: Trafalgar Square’s Development
After several centuries as a courtyard and stables, the area now known as Trafalgar Square was cleared in order to provide a “cultural space open to the public,” according to the Greater London Authority, and which is now the city’s largest area for public rallies, said Michael Leapman in Eyewitness Travel: London. In 1830 the space was named Trafalgar Square.
Fountains, statues and a huge staircase to the National Gallery are the other main attractions of the Square. On its north side, the National Gallery contains more than 2,000 paintings from the middle ages to the mid-1900s. Also within walking distance are St. Martin-in-the-Fields, known for its charity endeavors, and the National Portrait Gallery, which features portraits of English personalities, both to the northeast. To the west is Canada House; to the east is South Africa House.
Trafalgar Square is on the west side of London, in the Soho area of the city of Westminster.
The Harry Potter Series: Another English Victory
Trafalgar Square, named in honor of Admiral Horatio Nelson, is an appropriate place to celebrate a 20th-century English success story that has lasted into the 21st: the popularity of the Harry Potter books and films. Author J.K. Rowling said in a brief biography at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that the idea for the series “simply fell into” her head. That little idea led to seven best-selling books, seven popular films and a world premiere of the eighth film at Trafalgar Square that many excited fans are looking forward to on July 7, 2011.
Sources:
- Greater London Authority, “Trafalgar Square - A Brief History,” 2011.
- Guardian, “Battle of Trafalgar 200th Anniversary Interactive Graphic,” October 6, 2005.
- Hickman, Kennedy, “Wars of the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson,” About.com: Military History.
- Leapman, Michael, main contributor, Eyewitness Travel: London (New York: DK Publishing, 2011).
- Rowling, J.K., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (New York: Scholastic Inc., 1999).
- Warner Bros., “Warner Bros. name date and location of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 World Premiere,” The Peoples Movies, March 1, 2011.
Christina Guerrero - Christina Guerrero is an American journalist and writer. Her published credits include 98 nonfiction print articles.
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