THE FOURTH PLINTH

Trafalgar Square, London:

Trafalgar Square is in the heart of London and, until recently, was the equivalent of New York's Times Square for its New Year's Eve celebrations. The banks of the Thames River are now the heart of such celebrations because of the fantastic fireworks display along the river in central London.

Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square:

In Trafalgar Square, as well as a lot of tourists and pigeons, there's Nelson's Column in the middle of the square plus four plinths in each corner of the square. But only three plinths have permanent statues - Charles Napier (an imperialist and former governor of the Indian province of Sindh), Henry Havelock (another British imperialist tasked with quelling a rebellion in India) and George IV (a British king whose realm was tarnished with crisis and scandal). The fourth plinth was supposed to host a statue of William IV, a reforming king, riding a horse but because of insufficient funds, the plinth remains unadorned.

Antony Gormley's One and Other, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square:

Since 1999, the fourth plinth has hosted a temporary statue. Each statue remains on the fourth plinth for two years and then moved onto an art gallery or the like for another statue to take its place. Sculptors like Antony Gormley, Marc Quinn, Mark Wallinger, Rachel Whiteread and Yika Shonibare have all had their statues displayed on the fourth plinth.

Yinka Shonibare's Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square:

I like the idea of a temporary statue on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. It freshens things up and, I suspect, is more of an attraction than the statues on the other three plinths. Also, given the now culture wars about statues, the choice of a temporary statue avoids making a permanent choice.

Hans Haacke's The Anatomy of the Horse, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square:

If I had to choose a permanent statue for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar square, I'd opt for a statue of Nelson Mandela not least because the South African embassy overlooks Trafalgar Square. But I suspect if it went down to a popular vote, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II would win. They all would just be boring statues.

Do you have a favourite statue? If so, what is your favourite statue?

David Shrigley's Really Good, Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square:

I have two favourite statues, both football-related. One is the statue of Brian Clough, the former manager of Nottingham Forest who led the unfashionable football club to two European Cup triumphs.

Brian Clough statue, off Old Market Square, Nottingham:

My other favourite statue is of Billy Bremner, the captain of Leeds United when they were a big football team. His famous quote, which is very political, is "Side before self every time." His statue is where I'd meet my Mum and Dad, plus the rest of my family, before going to a Leeds United game. They'd travel to Leeds from Shropshire and ! travelled from Portsmouth; we needed a meeting place. I would just say to my Mum, see you at the Billy Bremner statue thirty minutes before the game kicks off.

Billy Bremner statue, Elland Road, Leeds: