Sir Benjamin Slade (Image: SWNS)
One family member, Sir Thomas Slade, designed Horatio Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory which led the successful attack against the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
The 7th Baronet, who made his millions as a shipping magnate, said he would transport 50 oak trees to France from his 2,000-acre estate at Maunsel House in Somerset.
The Grade II-listed ancestral home is believed to have been built in the late 14th century, and it is thought that Geoffrey Chaucer wrote part of The Canterbury Tales while staying there.
Sir Ben said: “I was shocked at the news about Notre-Dame and I feel a bit guilty about how my family has treated the French over the centuries, especially as one of my ancestors designed Nelson’s ship the Victory and built it out of English oak, so I thought this gesture might help to make amends.”
A devastating inferno ripped through the famous Paris landmark on Monday night, toppling its spire and destroying most of the roof.
Traditional Holy Week festivities have had to be hastily rearranged. Liturgies for Good Friday and today’s Vigil have been moved to the nearby St. Sulpice.
And
