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Bath and the slave trade

Much of Georgian Bath was built using profits from the  transatlantic slave trade, a part of the network of trade which existed between Britain, West Africa and the Caribbean between 1501 and 1866. William Beckford’s ability to build, and to collect, was made possible by the wealth he gained as an owner of enslaved people, and through the compensation he later received from the British government following the abolition of slavery.

We believe that it is vital to share these histories to encourage discussion and debate, especially with children, whether in school or at home.

We are currently working on creating school resources to support these conversations. While we do this we have compiled a list of our own resources from a previous exhibition about Bath and the Slave Trade and links to our favourite resources, websites and literature from elsewhere.

If you would like to support our work or suggest other resources to add to our list, please do not hesitate to get in touch by contacting [email protected] 

Resources from BPT’s museums

Resources from other museums

Teaching Slavery resources and literature from elsewhere:

Black History reading lists for children

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some commonly asked questions about our learning and community engagement work: