The grim truth behind Britain's stately homes

  • 📰 CNN Philippines
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 82 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 36%
  • Publisher: 63%

Philippines Headlines News

Philippines Latest News,Philippines Headlines

Few things are as quintessentially English as a stately home. But many of these country estates are indelibly linked to brutal legacies of slavery and colonialism.

Few things are as quintessentially English as a stately home. Tourists love them. And they're a guaranteed box office draw, as"Downton Abbey" and"Pride and Prejudice" can attest.Many of these country estates are indelibly linked to brutal legacies of slavery and colonialism.

The National Trust says it's chosen now to highlight this issue because of rising public awareness that, in the UK, hit the headlines with the divisive tearing down of"At a time when there's an enormous interest around colonialism more broadly and indeed slavery more specifically, it felt very appropriate, given that we care for so many of these places of historical interest, to commission a report that looks right across them and try to assess the extent of those colonial legacies...

The report's mention of revered wartime leader Winston Churchill in connection with contentious colonial era governance has drawn particular ire. "It's not like they're taking anything away; they're just saying that this is part of history and they're adding context to a particular artifact. It's adding something. I struggle to find a way to be offended by it."

"I think we've moved a long way from hiding things about the past to preserve some kind of propriety that no longer exists," he says. "I think we should be embarrassed about it," he says."We should be ashamed of it. Now obviously this doesn't mean you then try to forget about it, but the attitude you take to the past is the key question. If you say we shouldn't be embarrassed about it, well, what are people really saying? We should be proud of these people?"

"If you think about indirect links to slavery, our entire society is structured by that," he says." The Industrial Revolution was made possible by the profits by slavery."

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 13. in PH

Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

WATCH: Behind LeBron's triple-double, Lakers eliminate Nuggets
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Suspect in killing of Bayawan City councilor nabbed - Manila BulletinBACOLOD CITY - An alleged gun-for-hire suspect tagged as behind the killing of Bayawan City Councilor Alex Tizon in Negros Oriental was arrested in the said city, Saturday, September 26.
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »

IN PHOTOS: Basketball player Scottie Thompson's new home
Source: gmanetwork - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

OFWs from Lebanon return home
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

'Get antiques' and other tips to spruce up your home during lockdown
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Filipina left jobless in Spain due to COVID-19 finally returns home - Manila BulletinA Filipina worker in Spain, who lost her job in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, has finally returned home, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday.
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »