Versatile Square takes Centre Stage for St George's Day

Trafalgar Square will play host to a Festival of English food as England celebrates its patron saint today. Visitors to London can discover some of the protests and parties that have been organised in Trafalgar Square in the past with a Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour. Borough Market is relocating to Trafalgar Square for one day only in honour of St George. The prospect of sampling traditional English food would have been enough to turn the stomach of many a visitor in the not too distant past, but English cuisine like St George's Day itself has undergone something of a renaissance in recent years.

The Square was named after Admiral Horatio Nelson‘s naval victory, against a combined French and Spanish fleet, at the battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. Almost forty years passed before his statue was erected and the Square was open to the general public. French, German and Spanish tourists can discover the history and personalities that shaped some of London's most famous attractions with the Palace Trail podcast guided tour. The Palace Trail comes complete with a downloadable map to help visitors navigate from A to B. To find out more about the Palace Trail city guide please click here.

Negative national stereotypes are notoriously difficult to shake off. For many years the red cross of St George was synonymous with the Far Right in England. Devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has helped awaken a sense of English consciousness. Trafalgar Square has been packed full of people celebrating English sporting success, in the Rugby World Cup (2003) and the Ashes (2005). And of course Trafalgar Square was the scene for wild celebration when London won the race to stage the 2012 Olympic Games.

Indeed, this year is the first for many in which the flag of St George will fly over the Prime Minister's official London residence 10 Downing Street, alongside the union flag. Undercover tourists exploring Westminster can find out about the history of Downing Street with the Palace Trail downloadable travel guide. The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown will allow the Saltaire (Scotland's national flag) and the Welsh Dragon to fly over Number 10 on St Andrew's Day and St David's Day respectively.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a survey commissioned by Wells Bombardier Brewery found that Sir Winston Churchill was respondents' top English hero. Churchill was Anglo-American, his mother Jennine Jerome was an American heiress. He was nominated Britain's Greatest Briton in a BBC poll carried out in 2002. Listeners to the Palace Trail tour guide can discover how Churchill's statue in Parliament Square came to be located where it is and hear an example of the great man's quick wit. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail iPod travel guide please click here.