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Trafalgar Square changes its colours

— Photo: AP

The Nelson's Column looms over the green turf.

LONDON: Note to tourists: Trafalgar Square has not moved. It has just had a temporary makeover.

Many tourists were confused on Thursday when one of the city's most famous concrete patches suddenly sprouted grass. The central London home to Nelson's Column and the National Gallery is usually covered with rather uncomfortable pavement. But in a stunt that left some visitors confused and Londoners delighted, the concrete was replaced with soft turf.

Workers for Visit London, an organisation that promotes tourism in London, spent Wednesday night turfing one of London's most famous tourist spots with 2,000 sq m of fresh turf. By Thursday morning, residents and tourists took advantage of the urban oasis and soaked up some springtime sun. "There was a dog over there, some people doing circus tricks and a man playing with a baseball — it's amazing how grass suddenly attracts people to do things like that," said Haydn Oakley, who was handing out brochures for Visit London.

"It's a nice bit of green in London," said Alan Herbert, a commuter who was spending his lunch break sprawled out on the grass. "It's very relaxing."

The stunt was part of Visit London's villages campaign, which tries to entice people out of the city centre — and into some of the capital's more rural areas, often overlooked by tourists.

The strips of grass was set to be removed by Friday night, rolled up and transferred to Bishops park in West London. — AP

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