The signpost at Nelson's birthplace - Burnham Thorpe. |
The museum was the brainchild of the well-known Nelson enthusiast Ben Burgess, who lived in Norwich. His father had a keen interest in Nelson, but Ben's own interest was fired after he attended his hero's school, the Paston in North Walsham. Before his death in 2000, Mr Burgess set up the Ben Burgess Nelson Memorabilia Trust to raise money for a museum so his family's 600-strong collection would remain in the county. The trustees spent six years looking for a suitable building before plumping for the one in Great Yarmouth. They decided to house the collection in Great Yarmouth rather than Nelson's birthplace of Burnham Thorpe or Norwich because of the admiral's close maritime links with the town. Take a bicycle tour of Nelson's home Nelson would have been familiar with the South Quay building as he landed at the port when he returned from the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 and the North Sea Fleet operated from the town during the Napoleonic War. Building's rich history>>> | 
