A £250,000 project to reimagine a popular Whitehaven attraction has been launched.
The Rum Story Reimagined aims to develop the Lowther Street attraction, which tells the story of the Jefferson family business, which involved rum, enslavement of African people and shipping.
The project, co-ordinated by Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners and charity Anti Racist Cumbria, has secured £249,431 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project aims to invest in the attraction and to tell the history of the Jeffersons, enslavement and of Whitehaven in an engaging and complete way so that Whitehaven can be put more firmly on the UK heritage map.
Project manager Katy Haigh is now in place and she wants to hear what local people think about how The Rum Story can support visitors to better engage with this part of Whitehaven’s history.
The project is funded until the end of 2025 and by the end of the year people’s ideas will be used to help shape how The Rum Story should be transformed over the next five years.
There will be opportunities for individuals, businesses, community organisations, schools, universities, artists, historians, curators and more, to feed into the project from spring.
Katy said: “I am so excited about this project, and I really believe it has the potential to bring communities together and re-engage people with the history of their town.
“Everyone connected to Whitehaven will have unique perspectives on how the legacies of rum and the trading and trafficking of enslaved African people, shapes them, their town and their community.
“As we start thinking about how The Rum Story can develop going forward, this is what we are interested in.
“You might love history or find museums boring, you might even be sceptical about the project, or excited that this is happening in your town. Regardless, we want to hear from you.”
Deanne Shallcross, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, said: “The Rum Story has been much-loved in the town for 25 years and we want to make sure it remains an asset for the long term.
“Local people shouldn’t have to travel to big cities to learn about enslavement and how it has shaped our country.
“We have the history right here and we want to make sure the way it is told is shaped by the community and does not shy away from recounting a fuller picture of history, including enslavement. With National Lottery Heritage funding, we have an opportunity to really shine the spotlight on Whitehaven’s history and offer a tourism boost as well.”
Janett Walker, CEO of Anti Racist Cumbria, said: “For years across the heritage sector, we have seen the role of the trading in the enslavement of African people in shaping England and ports such as Whitehaven glossed over and the long-term intergenerational consequences, including trauma, ignored.
“This has been done through active avoidance or euphemism. Enslavers have been coded ‘planters’, enslavement is hidden behind phrases such as ‘shipping’ or ‘Virginia trade’.
“Not only is this an insult to those who were enslaved and their descendants, we are ignoring a key part of our history which gives us a fuller picture of how our country and local areas became the communities and places we are familiar with today.”
To get involved or find out more, email Katy.Haigh@rumstory.co.uk
