Britain on the plinth: Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth and British national identity, 2005-2010

Since 1999, the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square has seen the installation of a range of contemporary artworks that have prompted a national discussion about national identity, tolerance, diversity and history in the context of Trafalgar Square. In this paper, I will explore aspects of the narrative around the Fourth Plinth scheme since 2005 to draw out aspects of the relationship between national identity and public place: the possibility of multiple national narratives, control of space and resistance to that control, and the access of historical narratives to shore up contemporary versions of national identity.