What is this life if, full of care/We have no time to stand and stare/At all the grass on Trafalgar Square?

That's right. Nelson's Column looked down on a sea of green today after the London tourist board pulled off the ultimate 'guerrilla gardening' stunt, laying down 2,000 square metres of turf overnight around the city's famous landmark.

Visit London decided to green up the square to promote the city's many 'villages', the local neighbourhoods to which many foreign tourists never venture.

For the next two days, visitors to the square will be able to soak up the sunshine in the specially laid-out deckchairs, enjoy a picnic, or take part in a Tai Chi class.

James Bidwell, the Visit London chief executive, said: “From the rural feel of areas like Bexley Village and Wimbledon, to urban villages like Marylebone and even Canary Wharf, the campaign will help everyone discover Village London.”

The 40 tonnes of turf was dug up yesterday from the Vale of York and laid in one-metre strips overnight, watered down with a fire hose. In 48 hours' time, it will be relaid in Bishops Park in Fulham, West London.

The London Mayor Ken Livingstone has waged a long campaign against Trafalgar Square's pigeon population, calling them "rats with wings". Today, the pigeons appeared to be rather put off by the grass, congregating instead on the paving slabs around the square's edges.

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