1 November 2007
Press view for Museum in Docklands' new gallery London,
Sugar & Slavery
Thursday 8 November, 9.30am – 12.00noon
Discover how the English sweet tooth, consumer boycotts and the
Notting Hill Carnival are linked by one of the great crimes against
humanity. From Hammersmith to the Docks you’ll never see the London
in the same way again. Highlights include:
- Rare archaeological finds going on public display for the first
time, drawing 17th century London traders into the heart of the
trafficking in enslaved people.
- A newly commissioned artwork featuring Robert Wedderburn, son
of an enslaved African and a plantation owner, and abolition
activist, will be unveiled, responding to the Museum’s portrait of
George Hibbert, slaver and chairman of the West India Dock
Company.
Burt Caesar, member of the Museum’s consultative committee, will
outline the personal importance of a recently acquired archive of
papers belonging to Thomas Mills, a London trader and owner of
plantations on St Kitts and Nevis.
Download a press pack at
www.museumindocklands.org.uk/slaverypress
Notes to editors
Museum in Docklands, joint-funded by the City of London
Corporation, explores London's connections with the world through
the 2000 year history of the river, port and people. Across
four floors of interactive displays the Museum’s unique collection
takes you on a journey through stories of the Thames and
surrounding areas from Roman settlement to 21st century urban
regeneration. A changing programme of activities caters for
visitors of all ages and includes gallery tours, storytelling,
drama, talks by historians, films and guided walks through
Docklands. The Museum opened in 2003 and is a short walk along West
India Quay from the Docklands Light Railway or ten minutes from
Canary Wharf underground station on the Jubilee Line.
London Sugar & Slavery opens on 10 November 2007.
It is the only permanent gallery in London that examines the city’s
involvement in transatlantic slavery and its legacy on the capital.
Marking the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade by
Britain, the new gallery is part of a series of events and projects
planned by Museum in Docklands for 2007 and 2008.
Contact
For more information please contact Clea Relly or Tim Morley on
020 7814 5503/ 5507 /
crelly@museumindocklands.org.uk,
tmorley@museumindocklands.org.uk