Horatio Nelson is one of Britain’s great heroes.
He fought in the ‘Napoleonic Wars’. These were
battles between Britain, France and other countries, between 1799 and 1815.
At the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 Nelson led the
fleet that defeated the French and Spanish navies.
Britain then ‘ruled the waves’ for the next 100
years.
As you walk around St Paul’s today, see if you can
find the answers to these questions which will
help you learn about Nelson and the sailors who
fought bravely with him.
To begin your trail on the Cathedral floor, find the
memorial to Nelson in the South Transept.
1.
When was Nelson born? (clue: Go to the last page to
help you work out the Roman numerals!) ___________
2. Nelson’s uncle was the captain of a ship. In 1770 he joined the ship. How
old was he when he first went to sea?______________________
3. Look carefully at the different parts of the memorial . What kind of
clothes is Nelson wearing?_______________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
The monument shows a woman in a helmet talking to two boys who are about the age Nelson
was when he joined the navy. They are wearing
midshipmen uniforms. The midshipman’s job was
to look after sailors who were much older than
he was.
The lady is called Britannia, who is known as ‘the
spirit of Britain’.
Is the lion roaring or being sea sick do you
think? Nelson was nearly always seasick when
he went to sea.
Draw part of the monument here.
4. What is Nelson’s hand resting on?
___________________________________
5. Nelson lost his right eye and right arm in battles. Fill
in the names of these battles that he fought in.
N_ _ _
T________
C_________
6. Nelson died during one of these battles, but which
one? (Clue: there is a big square in London named after
the battle).
_______________________________________
7. At the battle of
Trafalgar Nelson was on
board his famous ship
which can still be seen in
Portsmouth harbour.
What was it called?
‘V’ is a clue!
__________________
8. There are other sailors who have memorials in the South Transept, how many can you find?
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Find the memorial to Cuthbert Lord Collingwood, what is he holding?
_____________________________________________
10. How old was Admiral Earl Howe when he died?
Now find the memorials under the windows on the South Side
of the Nave.
Look carefully at the memorial to another great sailor, George Blagdon
Westcott.
11. Of which ship was he the Captain?
12. How many years had he been at sea?
13. How many ships can you count on the monument?
14. Westcott died in a battle at a place called Abouki. Do you think it is
a hot or cold country? (Clue: look at the tree on the memorial!)
Carry on walking down the Nave to the monument to Richard Rundle Burges. He was commander of a ship called The Ardent.
15. How many human faces can you find on the base of his monument? Draw one of
them.
Now move across to the North Transept and find the memorial to
Captain Robert Faulkner.
16. In the monument, the dying Faulkner is being held by the Roman god
of the sea, Neptune. What is Neptune’s special symbol?
Go down the Nave and you will find the largest memorial we
have in St Paul’s. It looks like someone is buried here but they are
not. This is the memorial to the Duke of Wellington. He is buried in St Paul’s but in the crypt like most people are. He also fought in
the Napoleonic wars. He defeated Emperor Napoleon at the battle of
Waterloo in 1815.
17. How many Battle names can you find written round the
base of the memorial?
________________________________________________________
Now go downstairs to the crypt. Find the tomb of Horatio Nelson. It is right under the
dome area. The size of it shows what an important person Nelson was! When he was killed at
the Battle of Trafalgar it was decided that his funeral should be held here at St Paul’s.
What is written on the side of the tomb? _____________________________________
Look at the mosaic floor around it. What objects and shapes can you find? Make a
list:_________________________________________________________________
Still in the Crypt… find the memorial to Captain George Duff
on the wall near Nelson’s tomb.
20. He died on what date?_________
21. Which battle was he helping Nelson fight when he died?
22. What was the name of his ship?
There is a bell somewhere in the Nelson chamber, in the Crypt.
23. What was the ship called that this bell came from?
______________________________________________
Horatio Nelson’s brother William is also buried in the
crypt. Find his memorial.
24. When Nelson was killed, William inherited all his brother’s
titles and honours. What were they?
1.
2.
3.
Opposite Captain Duff’s memorial is another one, high up on the wall.
25. Who is it to?
26. What was his ship called?
Draw one of the figures here.
Roman Numerals
Many dates in St. Paul’s are written in Roman Numerals, using letters
instead of the numbers we
use today.
M = 1000
L = 50
D = 500
X = 10
C = 100
V=5
I=1
To work out the date, you
need to add the Roman numerals together.
For example, 1801 is:
MDCCCI
M (1000) + D (500) + CCC (100 x 3)+ I = 1801
If a smaller numeral appears before a larger one, you take it away.
For example, XL = 50-10 = 40
IV = 5 - 1 = 4
If there is a line above the letter, it turns the number into thousands
as in the cartoon above
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS
1.
1758
12.
33
23.
HMS Valiant
2.
12
13.
3
24.
1. Baron Nelson of the Nile
3.
Admirals Tailcoat and medals
14.
Hot
2. Viscount
4.
Anchor
15.
9
3. Duke of Sicily
5.
Nile Trafalgar Copenhagen
16.
Trident
25.
Captain John Cooke
6.
Trafalgar in 1805
17.
48
26.
The Bellerophon
7.
HMS Victory
18.
12
8.
Lots!
19.
Horatio Visc Nelson
9.
Sword
20.
21st October 1805
10.
70
21.
Trafalgar
11.
The Majestic
22.
Mars