Parliament Square

Parliament Square is a large public square in the heart of London laid out as a green space with lawns and footpaths. Twelve statues made of bronze and stone are distributed along the grass and at the edge of the square.

The square was created in 1868 following a design by Charles Barry, who redesigned the area around Westminster Palace. Throughout the 20th century the statues were gradually added to honor notable figures from politics and society.

The bronze figures show personalities such as Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, and each statue carries an inscription recalling their role in history. Visitors can view the sculptures up close while taking in the architectural backdrop of the surrounding government buildings.

The square is freely accessible at any time and can be reached through several entrances leading to the footpaths around the lawns. From here there is a direct view of the buildings around the government quarter, which helps with orientation in the city center.

The square sits at the crossing of four different spheres of power: the legislature in Parliament, the executive in Whitehall, the judiciary in the Supreme Court and the church in Westminster Abbey. This arrangement makes it a rare urban example of the concentration of political and religious authority in one place.