Phoebe Woods

In 2005, the Woodland Trust joined forces with the Society for Nautical Research to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Pheobe Woods at Millets are part of the project to create 33 new woods to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the Battle. Each wood represents 1 of the ships in Nelson's fleet and the tens of thousands of trees, including 50,000 oaks, cut down to build the vessels. The woods help to create a lasting tribute to the thousands of seamen who died defending our country.

The Woodland Trust said Nelson himself acknowledged the importance of trees to the success of the English Navy, writing to Parliament in 1803, calling for more trees to be planted to safeguard woodland.

The project's aims were to deliver:

An appreciation that trees and timber played a crucial part in our maritime past (aswell as everyday life).
Bring history to life, forge a link with the events of the past through practical action and breathe new life into our landscape.

The 33 woods will provide more than 858 acres (347ha) of new native woodland and act as a permanent reminder of the events of 1805.

Battle of Trafalgar

For much of the 1780s, 1790s and early 1800s, the British fleet was involved in actions against the French and Spanish in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean. Admirals such as Rodney and Hood established British superiority but it was Horatio Nelson who secured British naval dominance.

Successful at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 and Copenhagen in 1801, his most famous encounter occurred off the Spanish coast at Trafalgar in October 1805. It proved to be the decisive naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, with Nelson defeating the combined Spanish and French fleets without loss of any British ship. Unfortunately, it was not without personal cost - Nelson was killed on his flagship, Victory, during the battle, by a sniper's bullet.