Zone 3

The final zone focuses on London and the legacy of slavery.

A series of images remind you of the existence of the African community in London in the 19th century and a striking photograph, discovered in the admissions papers of a London Asylum, illustrate that a vital segment of London’s social history has yet to be revealed to us – the story of African-Londoners in the 19th century.

A selection of music song-sheets, advertisements and selected objects such as china figurines invite you to consider the various ways that African people have been portrayed in Britain. From the bizarre racism of television’s ‘Black and White Minstrel Show’ to the beautifully crafted bowl of a clay pipe moulded as a portrait of an African man.

The gallery moves on to explore the experience of the African community in London in the second half of the 20th century through video interviews and photographs.

Finally, end your visit by studying two magnificent portraits that are displayed side by side in the gallery. The first is an early 19th century portrait commissioned by the West India Dock Company to celebrate the appointment of its first Chairman, the slave owner George Hibbert; the second, a modern day response to that painting by the artist Paul Howard, is a portrait of the revolutionary and abolitionist, Robert Wedderburn.

As you leave London, Sugar & Slavery we hope that the sights and sounds you have experienced in this gallery will have challenged you to think about the legacy of the slave trade on London and how our capital has become the diverse, successful and exciting city it is today.