The BBC's Keith Phillips reports on a 100-year-old controversy

Three designs have been submitted to adorn the unfinished platform and become the square's final monument 150 years after it was first laid out.

The sculptures include a Christ-like figure, a bronze statue incorporating a head, a tree and a book and, in a more modern vein, an upturned replica of the plinth itself designed by sculptor Rachel Whiteread.

The winning design will be chosen later in the week by Westminster council's planning committee.

Upturned plinth: Rachel Whiteread's design is the most modern

But visitors to the square, one of London's most popular tourist destinations, had other suggestions for the site.

One thought that a tribute to South African President Nelson Mandela would be most appropriate.

He said: "He's done so much for South Africa and peace and could be a lesson to us all."

Another thought something that reflected the 1990s would be more suitable, while another wanted a tribute to the Falklands War.