Nelson & His World

The devotion that goes into the building of these ship models never fails to amaze me.

And fantastic when they can be shared with fellow enthusiasts.

Click here

MB

Mark,

As a ship model maker myself, I also found this of interest. It's a pity though they didn't have a photograph, or I couldn't find one.

There was one small slip in the text, well it is a newspaper (!), in that the article said that the ship had been 'built' by Thomas Slade, whereas of course he was the designer. The ship herself was actually constructed by Henry Adams at Buckler's Hard in Hampshire and launched in 1781. Several ships of the period were built here and it is well worth a visit, if you haven't already been there. It's at a lovely spot on the Beaulieu River in the New Forest. I visited it many years ago and remember a beautiful model of the Agamemnon, I believe in the Master Builder's cottage, which I think was contemporary and was possibly the builder's model.

I imagine David Christian's model was scratch built from plans. Googling around finds quite a few such models, some of them magnificent, and there is at least one kit firm that produces a good model of her.

Your post is opportune, as I had been meaning to post something about the Agamemnon seeing as it is just over 200 years since her sinking off the River Plate in June 1809. This from Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Agamemnon_(1781)

Another museum which has an excellent collection of beautifully made model ships is the Museo Storico Navale (Naval History Museum) in Venice.

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/ven ... avale.html

Though the models are largely of the ships of the Venetian Navy, there is also one of Nelson's Victory. I have a photograph which I will try and post in due course.

The Museum is rather neglected these days, and there were only about half a dozen people there when I visited on a winter's day; but it is a treasure house of fascinating artefacts and the entry fee (in 2007) was Euro 1!