Place Name
Originally New Road. Named in commemoration of Admiral Nelson’s victory over the French Fleet on August 1, 1798 that made him a household name throughout Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon had intended to take Egypt, then a British protectorate, as a first step to attacking British India. The French fleet was engaged at Aboukir Bay and defeated within a matter of hours. It has been called “arguably, the most decisive naval engagement of the great age of sail” and “the most splendid and glorious success which the British Navy gained”.
