Nelson Monument, Liverpool

The Nelson Monument is a tribute to Lord Horatio Nelson, the renowned British Admiral who died whilst defeating the French Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It was designed by Matthew Coates Wyatt and sculpted by Sir Richard Westmacott. Unveiled in 1813, the monument was the first major public sculpture to appear in the city of Liverpool. It is situated at Exchange Flags Square, behind Liverpool’s town hall. Whilst Lord Nelson had no great association with the city, his navy’s victory was of great local significance. The war with France had greatly restricted maritime trade, and the victory at Trafalgar allowed Liverpool to build a reputation as a global shipping centre.

The Nelson Monument is circular and carved from stone, and holds a bronze statue of Nelson sitting astride a cannon. The other bronze figures surrounding the Admiral are a sailor, the goddess Britannia, a skeleton, and an angelic body representing Victory. At the base of the monument are four prisoners of war in shackles, and panels showing four of Nelson’s greatest naval victories. The inscription around the circumference of the monument reads “England expects that every man will do his duty” – words uttered by Nelson himself during the fateful battle of Trafalgar.