Slavery

As I walk from our rented apartment to our daughter’s I pass by an interesting work of art depicting the links Lancaster has with slavery. At the foot is this mosaic and figures above which, etched in the Perspex, you can see the layout and crowded conditions of the slave ships.

Further above are the names of the products on which Lancaster - and other areas - made money from slavery. Sugar. Mahogany. Rum. Cotton. It is an interesting display which I may show further another day.

I had not realised that Lancaster was the fourth largest slave market in England: the 3rd largest on the west coast. Perhaps not surprising as it has always been a trading port. It has such a good navigable river that the Romans settled here: there is evidence of a Roman boathouse just below the castle.