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This wine stopper is crowned with original oak and copper reclaimed from HMS Victory during her restoration.

HMS Victory was Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British fleet destroyed their French & Spanish counterparts in 1805.

I have two blood relatives who saw active service at the Battle of Trafalgar, one on board HMS Tonnant, a ship captured from the French in 1798 by Nelson himself.

When I touch the oak I immediately think about the bravery of the British seamen who defeated their aggressors despite squalid conditions; the skill of the finest naval mind in history and, above all, it helps me to understand why I feel so proud to be British - I have blood in my veins directly descended from one who was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for this nation at a genuine crossroads in history.


And, as an aside, it gives me great pleasure to stick the wine stopper into a bottle of French or Spanish wine. I'm sure that would make Nelson smile!