Over 90 historic places have links to colonialism

ANKARA

Dozens of UK National Trust properties have direct links to slavery and colonialism, according to the heritage charity.

A report released Tuesday by the National Trust lists 93 individual places and collections that have strong historical ties to Britain’s colonial past.

The survey includes properties with links to people or businesses involved in colonialism, including the East India Company, or high-ranking figures, including Chartwell, the family home of Winston Churchill.

The report states that prior to his tenure as wartime prime minister, Churchill was Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1921-1922, then prime minister during the devastating Bengal famine of 1943, “whose British response has been strongly criticized ”.

The British East India Company, founded by royal charter in 1600, was instrumental in colonialism as it involved the African slave trade in the 17th century, according to the report.

Bateman’s house, Rudyard Kipling’s house in East Sussex and historian Thomas Carlyle’s house in London are also listed in the report, showing cultural ties to the country’s colonial history.

Tarnya Cooper, director of conservation and collections for the trust, said in a statement that a significant number of people in the country’s custody have ties to the colonization of various parts of the world, and some to historic slavery. .

“Colonialism and slavery were central to the national economy from the 17th to the 19th century,” Cooper said, adding:

“About a third of the properties currently under our control have direct links to broader colonial histories, often in a way that is reflected in the collections, materials and records that are visible in these locations.

“As a heritage charity, it is our duty to openly seek, interpret and share complete and up-to-date information about our places. This includes information on colonialism and slavery where relevant. “

Monuments and sites linked to colonialism and even racist figures were put in the spotlight in Britain in May after the American police murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, leading to global protests “Black Lives Matter ”.

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