Britannia Monument
Encyclopedia
The Britannia Monument is a commemorative column
or tower
built in memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson, situated on the Denes, Great Yarmouth
in the county of Norfolk
, England
.
Designed by architect William Wilkins
, it was raised in the period 1817-1819 from money raised by a committee of local magnates.
The first custodian of the monument was former Able Seaman James Sharman, a member of the crew of the Victory from Norfolk and one of those who carried Nelson below decks after he was shot.
The Grade 1 monument, correctly called the Norfolk Pillar, is in the style of a Doric
column topped by six caryatid
figures that support a statue of Britannia
proudly standing atop a globe inscribed with the motto from Nelson’s coat of arms ‘Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat’ (translates to 'Let him who has merited it take the palm'), she holds an olive branch in her outstretched right hand, a trident in her left and looks inland - said to be towards Nelson's birthplace. The whole monument is 144 ft (43.9 m) high, compared to 169 ft (51.5 m) for the monument in Trafalgar Square
and the top is reached by some two hundred and seventeen steps. The structure was completely restored in time for the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. In 2006 it was removed from English Heritage
's Buildings At Risk
register. In August 2006 it was rededicated. It currently stands, albeit separated in its own small railed plot, in an industrial estate.
The monument is open to the public for a limited number of days from 2007. A 45-minute guided tour can be booked through The Norfolk Nelson Museum at www.nelson-museum.co.uk.
In the late nineteenth century, the original synthetic Coade Stone
caryatids were replaced with concrete replicas. The figure of Britannia and the six caryatids were replaced by a fibreglass copy in 1982.
and Spanish
:
On the top plinth are named four of the ships he sailed on for each battle.
On the western face - i.e. inland again - a Latin
inscription reads: "This great man Norfolk boasts her own, not only as born there of a respectable family, and as there having received his early education, but her own also in talents, manners and mind."
There is a song called "Nelson's Monument" which refers to the monument.
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
or tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
built in memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson, situated on the Denes, Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in the county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Designed by architect William Wilkins
William Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
, it was raised in the period 1817-1819 from money raised by a committee of local magnates.
The first custodian of the monument was former Able Seaman James Sharman, a member of the crew of the Victory from Norfolk and one of those who carried Nelson below decks after he was shot.
The Grade 1 monument, correctly called the Norfolk Pillar, is in the style of a Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
column topped by six caryatid
Caryatid
A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese...
figures that support a statue of Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
proudly standing atop a globe inscribed with the motto from Nelson’s coat of arms ‘Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat’ (translates to 'Let him who has merited it take the palm'), she holds an olive branch in her outstretched right hand, a trident in her left and looks inland - said to be towards Nelson's birthplace. The whole monument is 144 ft (43.9 m) high, compared to 169 ft (51.5 m) for the monument in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
and the top is reached by some two hundred and seventeen steps. The structure was completely restored in time for the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. In 2006 it was removed from English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
's Buildings At Risk
Buildings At Risk
Buildings at Risk Registers exist in several areas of the United Kingdom. The term refers to buildings or structures which are at risk due to neglect or decay.-England:...
register. In August 2006 it was rededicated. It currently stands, albeit separated in its own small railed plot, in an industrial estate.
The monument is open to the public for a limited number of days from 2007. A 45-minute guided tour can be booked through The Norfolk Nelson Museum at www.nelson-museum.co.uk.
In the late nineteenth century, the original synthetic Coade Stone
Coade stone
Lithodipyra , or Coade stone, was ceramic stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments that were both of the highest quality and remain virtually...
caryatids were replaced with concrete replicas. The figure of Britannia and the six caryatids were replaced by a fibreglass copy in 1982.
Dedications
At the base inscriptions commemorate Nelson's four main victories over Britain's enemies the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
:
- AboukirBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, 1, 2 August 1798, HMS Vanguard - Copenhagen, 1 April 1801, HMS Elephant
- St VincentBattle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)In the Battle of Cape St Vincent a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.-Origins:...
, 14 February 1797, HMS Captain - TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, 21 October 1805, HMS Victory
On the top plinth are named four of the ships he sailed on for each battle.
On the western face - i.e. inland again - a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription reads: "This great man Norfolk boasts her own, not only as born there of a respectable family, and as there having received his early education, but her own also in talents, manners and mind."
There is a song called "Nelson's Monument" which refers to the monument.
See also
- Nelson Monument, LiverpoolNelson Monument, LiverpoolThe Nelson Monument is a monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson, in Exchange Flags, Liverpool, England. It was designed by Matthew Cotes Wyatt and sculpted by Richard Westmacott. It stands to the north of the Town Hall and was unveiled in 1813.-External links:...
- Nelson's ColumnNelson's ColumnNelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian...
, London - Nelson's PillarNelson's PillarThe Nelson Pillar , known locally as Nelson's Pillar or simply The Pillar, was a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson in the middle of O'Connell Street, Dublin...
, Dublin - Nelson Monument, Edinburgh
- Nelson's Monument on Birchen EdgeBirchen EdgeBirchen Edge is a rock face in the Peak District, United Kingdom, popular with walkers and with novice climbers as most of the climbing routes are in the lower grades.-Nelson's Monument:...
, in England's Peak DistrictPeak DistrictThe Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....