Nelson Monument

The Nelson Monument in Great Yarmouth will be open for guided tours on Saturday and Sunday, 13th and 14th August, 2011, 10.00 – 16.00 hrs. Timed tours for two people at a time only last for thirty minutes and cost £6.00 per person. 

Bookings can be made by contacting the Nelson Museum  on 01493 850698 or calling into the museum in person at 26 South Quay, Great Yarmouth, NR30 2RG.    Unbooked tours will be sold at the Monument subject to availability on the day.

The Nelson Monument, properly called the Norfolk Naval Pillar, was built on the South Denes, Great Yarmouth, in 1819 to commemorate Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. At the time, the South Denes was an empty sand spit and the Monument stood right in the centre of it with only the Officers’ Racecourse and the Military Training ground around. It was a stunning Monument to one of England’s greatest naval heroes.

Every year a few guided tours are arranged by the Nelson Museum.  It is a  fantastic opportunity to climb all 217 steps to experience the breathtaking views – Norwich Cathedral can be seen on a clear day – and to learn more about the Monument. You will be accompanied by a trained Nelson’s Monument Tour Guide who will expain the monument’s construction, history and restoration and about its links with our greatest naval hero, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Each visitor will receive a certificate on returning to terra firma.

Due to the slim spiral staircase and very small viewing platform at the top, only two visitors and the guide can make the ascent at any one time. Unfortunately small children or visitors with heart, lung or mobility problems cannot be accepted on the tours. The Monument has a parapet which is 1.3 metres high. Visitors will be asked to leave bags or bulky items in the care of another guide, who will be stationed at the base of the Monument.