Horatia keeps an eye on London

Nelson’s Column is a memorial to the heroic Horatio Nelson who lost his life in 1805 during the Battle of Trafalgar, when he defeated Napoleon and the French and Spanish fleets. 

Admiral Nelson had fought valiantly for the country, four of his most notable battles are represented at the base of the column in a frieze, which was cast from the bronze of a captured French cannon.

Having already lost an eye whilst assisting the army ashore at Calvi, he went to national hero status following success at the Battle of Copenhagen, despite ignoring orders to disengage the enemy.  There then followed the Battle of Cape St. Vincent where he lost his arm but was rewarded by a knighthood for his courage and skill.  Following the destruction of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile  he was made a Lord and it could even be said that at this stage he had reached superstar status.   Apparently when trying to leave a Portsmouth hotel on what turned out to be his final tour of duty,  he had to be smuggled out of the backdoor to avoid the crowd waiting to catch a glimpse of the naval genius!

The column stands 151 feet tall above Trafalgar Square, topped by the 18 foot high statue of Nelson facing south towards the Admiralty.  The sculptor E.H.Bailey was criticised at the time for  exaggerating Nelson’s features, however it is very rare that anyone views the statue at close range.  Even the pigeons find it difficult to take a rest on his shoulders as he is coated with a special gel to repel any of our feathered friends who might think of ‘messing’ the great British hero!

Admiral Lord Nelson died in the battle at Cape Trafalgar in October 1805 on board his ship HMS Victory. Earlier he had sent out the famous signal to his fleet, ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’.  His body was preserved in a barrel of brandy for the journey back to the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich. He then lay in state for three days before making his final voyage up the Thames to St. Pauls in January 1806.

Here he is keeping a watchful eye on the celebrations the night before Prince William married Kate