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Wolsey was much inspired by Pietro Torrigiano's gilt tomb for Henry VII at Westminster Abbey, and the Cardinal commissioned Benedetto Da Rovezzano to work on lavish tomb in the Renaissance style, of which the Wolsey Angels were to stand proudly at the four corners. As we know, the tomb was not completed during Wolsey's life time and following his fall from grace and subsequent death King Henry VIII reappropriated the elements of the tomb that Benedetto had thus far completed, discarding the effigy of Wolsey and other items which specifically pertained to the Cardinal.Henry went on to commission Benedetto to...

The remains of a 300-year-old warship are to be raised from the sea bed, according to reports. The wreck of HMS Victory, a predecessor of Nelson's famous flagship, was found near the Channel Islands in 2008. The British warship, which went down in a storm in 1744 killing more than 1,000 sailors, could contain gold coins worth an estimated £500m. The Sunday Times says the Maritime Heritage Foundation is set to manage the wreck's raising.

The ships' logs of great maritime figures such as Lord Nelson and Captain Cook have cast new light on climate change by suggesting that global warming may not be an entirely man-made phenomenon. Scientists have uncovered a treasure trove of meteorological information contained in the detailed logs kept by those on board the vessels that established Britain's great seafaring traditition including those on Nelsons' Victory and Cook's Endeavour.

  Flotilla marks Nelson anniversary  The ceremony began in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College Crowds have cheered one of the largest flotillas the Thames has seen, to mark 200 years since Nelson's death.Dozens of boats carried dignitaries and descendants of those who fought at Trafalgar, from Greenwich to Whitehall. Thousands lined the river to follow the re-enactment of Admiral Lord Nelson's funeral procession. Organiser Sea Britain 2005 said the crowds were larger than anticipated. Nelson was shot dead by a French sniper at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. A state funeral with five days of...