'Captured Africans' - Lancaster, UK - Civil Rights Memorials on Waymarking.com

Lancaster was the fourth largest slave port in Britain and around 200 voyages left the city in the eighteenth century. Between 1750 and 1790 alone Lancaster merchants were responsible for the forced transportation of approximately 24,950 Africans across the Atlantic and into slavery in the West Indies and the Southern States of America. Many local people are unaware of the importance of slavery to Lancaster. Much of its wealth came from the forced transportation of people, and the carrying of the resulting goods like sugar, mahogany and rum.

STAMP worked with a number of artists, schools and community groups to increase public awareness of the slave trade and developed a series of commemorative events and performances from 2003-2005 which culminated in a permanent memorial to the Africans who were transported on board Lancaster ships. The project made links to continuing issues of global inequity and poverty by highlighting issues of Fair Trade/Slave Trade.

The memorial was conceived and developed by Manchester-based artist Kevin Dalton-Johnson with support from mosaic artists Ann McArdle and young people involved in the programme of activities. "Captured Africans provides a place to pause and think, a place for quiet reflection on the human cost of this history and its legacy."

It is on the quay adjacent to the old rail bridge, and near the new Millennium Bridge across the River Lune. Along the quay are the warehouses used for the goods from the Triangle Trade. Many are now flats, but the outsides look much the same. There is also a very interesting museum about Lancaster's maritime past.

The sculpture reflects the decks of the ships that carried the people, with various cargoes in perspex blocks. The front stainless steel column lists many of the ships that sailed from this quay and the number of slaves they picked up in Africa. A mosaic shows the origins and destinations. The statue was unveiled on Columbus Day, October 10th 2005.

Kevin Dalton-Johnson, says "Historical accounts focus on the slaves, but do not focus enough on the Slave Trade itself. For this reason, I have chosen to focus on the Slave Trade and put the Slave Trade itself on exhibition as an exhibit."

See:
University of Lancaster STAMP site: (visit link)

Lancaster City Council site: (visit link)

Civil Right Type: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/15/2018 NLKD visited it