Explore the real-world places that appear in Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include HMS Victory at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, The Atlantic Patrol Waters (Capture of the Amitié), HMS Reliant's Quarterdeck (HMS Trincomalee, Hartlepool), Admiralty House, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and 6 more.
Portsmouth Harbour — Home port of Nelson's fleet and the Navy of Laurence's world
Portsmouth stands for the Royal Navy world that Captain Will Laurence loves and is forced to leave. After the capture of the French frigate Amitié and the hatching of the egg, the Reliant's crew, including Lieutenant Riley and Midshipman Granby's circle of acquaintances, anchors the story in naval duty. Laurence's sense of loss at abandoning his sea career is measured against this world of ships, harbours and fleet preparations before Trafalgar.
Portsmouth has been the principal base of the Royal Navy since the 15th century. Nelson's flagship HMS Victory sailed from here in September 1805 toward Trafalgar. The dockyard grew into a vast naval manufacturing complex in the Georgian era.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a major museum complex housing HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, the Mary Rose Museum and the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Visitors can board Nelson's flagship and explore the Georgian dockyard buildings.
Visit: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (museum)
Atlantic Ocean off the Bay of Biscay approaches — Where the French frigate is taken
On patrol months before Trafalgar, Laurence's frigate HMS Reliant captures the storm-damaged French frigate Amitié after a fierce fight with a crew reluctant to surrender. Laurence's men find a mysterious cargo, including a large dragon egg in the hold. The prize is hugely valuable to Britain, which urgently needs dragons for its Aerial Corps, and it changes Laurence's life.
The Bay of Biscay and the approaches to the Channel were the hunting grounds of the Royal Navy's blockade squadrons during the Napoleonic Wars. Frigates routinely intercepted French merchant and naval vessels attempting to run the blockade.
The open Atlantic here is empty ocean crossed by commercial shipping and ferries between Britain and Spain. There is no landmark, and it is not accessible as a site to visit.
Hartlepool — Surviving Napoleonic-era frigate evoking the Reliant
Aboard the Reliant, Laurence commands the boarding party, and it is on a frigate like this that the egg hatches. The dragonet Temeraire emerges amid the crew, and Laurence's men draw lots to try to harness him. The hatching on the ship sets in motion Laurence's transformation from naval officer to dragon captain.
HMS Trincomalee, launched in 1817 in Bombay, is one of the oldest Royal Navy warships still afloat. She was restored over many years and is the closest surviving relative of the frigates of Laurence's era.
She is displayed at the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool, which offers tours of the decks and exhibits of life aboard Georgian warships.
Visit: National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool (museum)
Whitehall, London — Seat of naval authority over Laurence's fate
The Admiralty is the center of the naval establishment that Laurence has served. His transfer from the Navy to the Aerial Corps is a matter of official duty, and the Admiralty's interest in the French prize and the documents addressed to Napoleon makes it central to the story's political stakes. The Admiralty's hold over Laurence's career gives weight to his sense of loss.
The Admiralty building on Whitehall dates from the 1720s and was the headquarters of the Board of Admiralty that governed the Royal Navy. Nelson himself visited it before departing for Trafalgar.
The Old Admiralty Building is part of the British government's Whitehall offices and is not open for general visits, but its façade and the adjacent Admiralty Arch are easily viewed from the street.
Charing Cross, London — Later monument to the battle looming over the story
The story takes place months before the Battle of Trafalgar, with Nelson's smaller fleet facing Napoleon's armada. The square commemorates the outcome that hangs over the characters' war. It is the natural symbolic center for the naval conflict that frames Laurence's choices.
The square was laid out in the 1830s to commemorate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805, and Nelson's Column was completed in 1843. Before that, the site was the Royal Mews.
Trafalgar Square is one of London's best-known public spaces, with Nelson's Column, fountains and the National Gallery on its north side. It is free and open to all.
Visit: Trafalgar Square (monument)
Greenwich — Naval heritage and Laurence's former world
Greenwich embodies the proud tradition of the naval service in which Laurence has risen. His distress at leaving the Navy for the despised Aerial Corps draws on the contrast between this honored institution and the rough lives of aviators. The naval world of Greenwich is what Laurence believes he is giving up when he accepts Temeraire's harness.
Designed by Christopher Wren and built from 1696 as a hospital for retired seamen, it became the Royal Naval College in 1873. Nelson's body lay in state in the Painted Hall in 1806 after Trafalgar.
The Old Royal Naval College is a UNESCO World Heritage Site open to the public, including the Painted Hall and chapel. Nearby are the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark.
Visit: Old Royal Naval College (historic site)
Dover, Kent — Frontline against Napoleon's invasion across the Channel
Dover serves as the frontline station of the Aerial Corps, where dragons and their captains patrol the Channel against French invasion. Laurence and Temeraire are drawn into this world of hard training, with aviators like Captain Granby and Captain Jane Roland setting the tone for Laurence's life as an aviator. The cliffs and the Channel crossing are the setting for the dragons' defensive role against Napoleon's armada.
Dover Castle has defended England's closest point to France for nearly a thousand years. During the Napoleonic Wars it was expanded with new fortifications and tunnels to guard against invasion.
Dover Castle is run by English Heritage and offers tours of the medieval keep, the Secret Wartime Tunnels and Napoleonic-era tunnels. The white cliffs nearby are managed by the National Trust.
Visit: Dover Castle (historic site)
Kent coast — Watch over the Channel
The cliffs mark the line of defence against Napoleon's forces, patrolled by dragons of the Aerial Corps. Temeraire's flights over the Channel give him and Laurence their first sight of the war's front line. Dragons soaring against the chalk face symbolise England's last shield.
The White Cliffs have been England's symbolic frontier since Roman times. During the Napoleonic Wars, Martello towers and batteries were built along this coast against the threat of invasion.
The cliffs are protected by the National Trust, with walking trails, a visitor centre and views across the Channel to France.
Visit: White Cliffs of Dover (National Trust) (landmark)
South Africa — Waypoint on the egg's long voyage from Asia
The egg was spent months on a slow journey from Asia, a route that would take a ship around the Cape of Good Hope. The Chinese gift for Napoleon travelled this route aboard the French frigate. The voyage explains why the egg hatches at sea, at the time Laurence captures the vessel.
The Cape was a key waypoint on the sea route between Europe and Asia since the Portuguese rounded it in 1488. In 1806 Britain seized the Cape Colony from the Dutch.
Cape Point lies within Table Mountain National Park, with hiking trails, a lighthouse and spectacular coastal views.
Visit: Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park (park)
Spanish coast near Cádiz — Site of the coming great battle
The novel opens months before the battle of Trafalgar, as Napoleon's armada waits to face Nelson's smaller fleet. Laurence's naval duties on the Atlantic patrol are tied to this looming confrontation. The coast of Cape Trafalgar stands for the decisive sea battle that frames the book's tension.
On 21 October 1805 Nelson's fleet defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets off this cape, ending Napoleon's naval invasion plans. Nelson was killed during the battle aboard HMS Victory.
Cape Trafalgar has a lighthouse and a quiet beach near Los Caños de Meca, in a natural park. A memorial to the battle stands in the area.
Visit: Cape Trafalgar Lighthouse (landmark)
Beijing — Origin of the documents and the dragon egg's intended gift
The documents found with the egg are addressed to Napoleon from the greatest dragon-breeders in the world, the Chinese. Temeraire was meant as a gift for the Emperor Napoleon, and he promises to grow into no ordinary creature. The imperial court of China, with its reverence for dragons, is the hidden origin of the whole plot.
The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties from 1420 until 1912. In 1805 it was the seat of the Jiaqing Emperor of the Qing dynasty.
The Forbidden City is now the Palace Museum, one of the most visited museums in the world, holding vast collections of imperial art and artifacts.
Visit: The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) (museum)
More by Naomi Novik: All Naomi Novik books
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