We are very excited to announce ‘The Rum Story Re-Imagined’. This new project, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players, will be running for the next 12 months.
The Rum Story is a visitor attraction which engages with the history of the Jefferson’s family business – rum, shipping and the trading and enslavement of people from Africa.
The history of the Jefferson family sits alongside a wider history of Whitehaven as a significant shipping port, built first on mining and then by the wealth generated by the Transatlantic trade of enslaved African people.
The way this history is told currently aligns with how it is told by the wider heritage sector, as it dilutes the extent of Britain’s role and how it profited.
The Rum Story’s aim is to tell its history in a truly representative way that is relevant to a wider, modern audience. An important part of history is re-engaging with it so we can ensure that parts which have been erased in the past are heard and included. This is especially true for the history of the Transatlantic trade of enslaved African people and Britain’s role in it.
This can be a challenging and triggering history to confront, but by doing so The Rum Story can make a real difference and bring change to its local communities, to Cumbria, and beyond.
Over the next 12 months, we will be inviting communities in Whitehaven to join us in re-connecting with their heritage, and to better link Whitehaven to its part in national, and international, histories. Through the project we will be looking at ways we can better tell the history of the Jeffersons and of Whitehaven.
Our aim is to make a positive impact locally and put Whitehaven firmly on the heritage map alongside other leading attractions and museums across the UK.
This project is being delivered by Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners in partnership with Anti Racist Cumbria.
We welcome your thoughts and feedback which you can send to us here.
