Public Standards of Length
check your yard against the law
Brass imperial measures set into the wall at Trafalgar Square, where Victorians could check an honest inch, foot and yard.
Free to visit · Trafalgar Square · Charing Cross · WC2N 5DN
Opening: Viewable any time
Set into the stonework on the north side of Trafalgar Square, just below the National Gallery, are the Public Standards of Length, official brass markers showing the exact lengths of the imperial inch, foot, yard, chain, perch and pole. In an age of dodgy traders and inconsistent rulers, these let any citizen check a measurement against the legal standard.
Most of the thousands who cross the square daily walk right past them. It is free to find, and rather satisfying to lay your hand or umbrella against an officially certified Victorian yard, a quiet monument to the very idea of fairness and honest dealing.
Getting there: On the low north wall beneath the National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square.
Best time to go: Any time, on a visit to Trafalgar Square.
Insider tip: Look down at the low wall and steps below the National Gallery terrace, where the brass measures are set into the stone. Bring something to measure and check it against an official Victorian yard for fun.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide