Posts Tagged ‘Nelson Column’

This year’s AGM and Trafalgar Dinner will be held in the Mercure Hotel in Norwich. It is one mile south of Norwich International Airport and two miles from the city centre. Whilst we have not used this hotel before the facilities, accommodation, function room, pool and health club compare favourably with previous venues.

We have reserved a block of 50 rooms at a special B&B rate of £77 double and twin, £60 single. The hotel will only hold these rooms until 31 August. After this they could revert to their normal prices of £100 plus. The hotel is on split-levels and our rooms are on the ground and mezzanine floors. Access to the top floor is by stairs so ensure you book your rooms early.

Full details are given on the booking form enclosed with this issue of The Nelson Dispatch. To reserve rooms contact: The Mercure Hotel, 121 Boundary Rd., Norwich, NR3 2BA or telephone 01603786413 – a direct line to its Conference Booking Office or out of office hours the hotel reception number is: 08448159036. Fax: 01603400466.

Email: events.mecurenorwich@jupiterhotels.co.uk

Make sure that you state that it is a Nelson Society booking to ensure that you get the reduced rate.

On the Friday afternoon we have a coach tour to and around Great Yarmouth and will visit the Norfolk Nelson Column and the Nelson Museum, the only one in this country, to see its new exhibits. As admission numbers have to be limited we will stagger our visit alternating with the nearby Time and Tide Museum and Pottery. We will return to our hotel at 5.30 pm.

The Norfolk motto is ‘do different’ and on Friday night we will be doing that. Instead of a talk there will be an evening of Nelson entertainment involving both drama and music. It will include a proposed educational production about the life of Nelson.

Saturday morning’s AGM will be preceded by an illustrated talk about Nelson’s life in Norfolk by Charles Lewis. Charles was curator of the Great Yarmouth Seafront Museum and as a historian and colleague of our founder Ben Burgess was adviser for the Nelson Museum. Charles has also written a comprehensive book about Nelson.

Saturday afternoon our coaches will take you on a tour of the ‘fine city of Norwich’ (George Burrows quote) passing both its cathedrals before visiting its impressive Norman Castle Museum and Art Galleries. The castle has three Nelson items on show. Norwich has more churches than any other European city and, for the ladies, more shops than any other place in East Anglia. The coaches will leave for our hotel at 5 pm.

Saturday evening’s Chairman’s Reception and Trafalgar Dinner will be held in the City Suite of the hotel and as the event is in the Civic
Diary it is hoped that, subject to matters prevailing, that we will
again have the pleasure of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress following
their appointment in May.

Sunday is Trafalgar Day and after an early breakfast and checkout our coaches will depart for north Norfolk for a busy morning. Our first stop will be at Burnham Thorpe Church where Nelson’s father was Rector from 1775 to 1802. There is no morning service on this particular Sunday but we will be welcomed by Mary Heather, Church Warden, organist and Nelson Society member. Mary was instrumental in arranging the burial of our Society’s time capsule in the village in 2005. We will then visit The Lord Nelson for morning coffee and, as there’s no lunch stop and for those who need sustenance, the purchase of a lunch box! Our coaches have to be at nearby Holkham Hall for a twelve noon welcome.

Holkham Hall is the largest stately home in Norfolk set in an estate of 25,000 acres. It is privately owned and the home of Viscount and Viscountess Coke (pronounced ‘Cook’). Nelson visited the building during his ‘five years on the beach’ to get his pension forms signed by Thomas William Coke JP (1754-1842). This will be the first official visit to the hall by our Society and its marble entrance hall and opulent interiors should not be missed. Our coaches will depart for Norwich at 1.30 pm arriving at our hotel at 2.30 pm and continue to the train station at 2.50 pm. There are main line trains to London, the Midlands and the North after 3 pm but check for Sunday maintenance work before booking tickets. All times and arrangements are subject to the disclaimer clause on the Booking Form.

Looking forward to seeing you all back in Norwich. If you have any questions or problems please phone me on 01603 665548 or email me at:

bob.brister@btopenworld.com