London deserves its own great public square – one worthy of postcards, of celebrations, of idle evenings spent in good company, writes John Oxley

Being out of London for some of the summer, one starts to pick up some of the things our city tends to lack. Air conditioning is clearly one, but there is perhaps a bigger omission – the lack of decent, enjoyable public squares. While the opinion pages of this very paper offer a world-leading metaphorical public forum, nowhere in London can really say the same for the real thing.

Europe knows the power of the public square, why not us?

The cities of Europe tend to have grand public squares. Places where you can while away an evening in a grand old market square or plaza, overlooked by a grand statue or ornate cathedral. London seems to lack the same.

Trafalgar Square tends to host city spectacles, but it is

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