A Farewell to Nelson

'by the time he had arrived on the beach some hundreds of people had collected in his train, pressing all around and pushing to get a little before him to obtain a sight of his face. I stood on one of the batteries near where he passed and had a full view of his person. As the barge in which he embarked pushed away from the shore, the people gave three cheers which his Lordship returned by waving his hat.' Benjamin Silliman describing Nelson's departure from Portsmouth to fight the Battle of Trafalgar, 15 September 1805. The gathered crowds were so great that after his breakfast at a nearby inn, The George, Nelson slipped out the back and crossed to the beach over a small wooden drawbridge which cut through the fortifications at Spur Redoubt. From the beach he joined his fleet which was waiting off Spithead. This bridge was restored in 2005 as part of the commemorations for the 200th anniversary of the Battle and now forms part of The Nelson Trail.