Nelson descendant welcomes Victory's berth on fourth plinth

Descendants of Nelson and a fellow admiral today applauded a modern sculpture of his flagship HMS Victory, which is to be unveiled as the new fourth plinth artwork in Trafalgar Square.

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, a scale model of the vessel on which he died at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, will be revealed on the plinth on Monday.

By acclaimed Hackney-based artist Yinka Shonibare, it is contained within a huge acrylic bottle and features 37 African-style batik sails to represent multi-cultural London and its colonial links.

Anna Tribe, 80, Nelson's closest descendant, said: "Many children have no idea about his importance in British history so it's excellent for them to learn and question why we aren't all speaking French now."

Judy Collingwood, 64, from Hammersmith - the great, great, great niece of Vice Admiral Collingwood, who commanded the fleet after Nelson's death, said: "It good for London to raise awareness of the sacrifices those sailors of different nationalities made for Britain."