The room in which Lord Nelson’s body lay after being brought back from the battle of Trafalgar has been opened to the public for the first time in 70 years.

Called the Nelson Room, the domed circular ceiling space at the Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) at Greenwich has been fully restored and will house an exhibition of Nelson’s lying in state.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Foundation for the ORNC, said: “This is a place which has true significance in the story of Nelson’s death and the subsequent celebration of his life.”

The room, formerly a smoking room, was renamed the Nelson Room in 1780 and contains several important portraits of Nelson and his battles.