Trafalgar Flag goes on display at Discovery Museum for the first time since landmark acquisition

The rare Union flag flown during the Battle of Trafalgar from HMS Royal Sovereign, flagship of Newcastle-born Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, will go on temporary public display at Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne to coincide with Trafalgar Day on 21 October.  

Acquired this summer, the iconic flag, hand stitched on the way to battle in 1805 by Vice-Admiral Collingwood’s crew nicknamed ‘The Tars of the Tyne’, will be shown for two weeks from 17 October – 1 November 2026.  It is free entry to the museum and no booking is required. 

Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums, the organisation that manages Discovery Museum, said: 

“This is the first opportunity for visitors to see this rare and historically important flag since it was acquired by North East Museums to save it from being exported overseas. We’re very excited to provide access to the flag for our visitors for a short period before a permanent display is created, and it’s particularly poignant that it is on display for 21 October, Trafalgar Day.  

“The groundswell of support from the public has been incredible and we could not have done this without them – as well as the very generous support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Collingwood family and our other funders and donors.”

Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said:

“This is an exciting first opportunity for the public to see an extraordinary survivor of one of the most significant moments in UK naval history and to discover its powerful connection to the people and heritage of the North East.

“The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK’s most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. I am pleased to count this rare and nationally important flag among the heritage treasures we have helped to protect.”

Following the flag’s display from 17 October – 1 November, it will be carefully stored while the museum team creates a new larger permanent display exploring Vice-Admiral Collingwood, an important regional and national figure and his role, along with many other people from the North East, in a significant moment in British history.  

After Vice-Admiral Collingwood’s good friend Admiral Horatio Nelson died in battle, Vice-Admiral Collingwood assumed control of the entire fleet and secured Britain a pivotal victory. The museum, which attracts over 200,000 visitors each year will use the display to engage communities and inspire young people though its extensive education work. 

The Battle of Trafalgar was a defining moment in the Napoleonic Wars, one of the most consequential and culturally important naval actions in British history. Surviving Union Flags from the battle are rare. Of the three that remain extant, this example is the most significant, since it flew from the ship which initiated the engagement at Trafalgar and played a pivotal role in Britain’s victory. 

Following the battle the Royal Sovereign Union Flag was kept as a souvenir by seventeen-year-old Charles Aubrey Antram (1788–1831), who was serving at the time as one of four master’s mates on the ship. It was then passed down through his family before being sold to a private collection.

North East Museums has raised over two thirds of a £700,000 target to purchase the flag and create a permanent home for it at Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne. The National Heritage Memorial Fund supported the acquisition with a £400,000 grant and further generous support came from the Sir James Knott Trust, Community Foundation North East, XTX Markets, the Drapers' Charitable Fund and several other donors.  

The Collingwood family, direct descendants of Vice-Admiral Collingwood also contributed to the fundraising appeal to save the flag and bring it to Newcastle upon Tyne, the city in which Vice-Admiral Collingwood was born on 17 September 1748.  

The flag had been in a private collection with an export ban placed on it from the Secretary of State because of its significance to the UK following a recommendation from The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. This process gave North East Museums a chance to coordinate the fundraising efforts to retain the flag for public display in the UK.  

Discovery Museum is open Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm and weekends 11am – 4pm and has free entry. The museum is closed on Bank Holidays.