Britain's Slavery Secrets is a British documentary in which Liverpudlian historian Laurence Westgaph journeys around the country examining the role played by the slave trade in forging the Britain we see today.
The documentary originally aired in the UK on The History Channel on 13 October, 2007. It is 50 minutes long.
Britain’s Slavery Secrets aired for the first time in South Africa on DStv's The History Channel on Saturday 26 April 2008, at 21h30.
Repeats
Sunday 27 April: 09h30, 15h30
Synopsis
2007 marked the bicentenary of the 1807 ‘Abolition of the Slave Trade Act’, which outlawed slavery throughout the British Empire.
In this fascinating programme, Liverpudlian historian Laurence Westgaph journeys around the country examining the role played by the slave trade in forging the Britain we see today.
His journey takes him to the famous slaving ports of London, Liverpool and Bristol; he also visits slavery’s less obvious beneficiaries.
In Bangor, North Wales, he discovers that the entire A5 was built by one wealthy slave trader. He also examines Birmingham’s gun quarter, where 100,000 guns were produced every year to exchange for African slaves.
Laurence also uncovers some uncomfortable truths concerning the much-loved National Gallery. Its collection was founded on the paintings of John Julius Angerstein, a man who owned one third of a Caribbean sugar plantation worked by slaves.
Laurence chats to Charles Suarez Smith, the gallery’s current director, about Angerstein. Smith also reveals details of other men made rich by slavery whose paintings now hang in Britain’s most prestigious gallery.
We also look at the role slavery played in giving the country its sweet tooth. The slave trade made sugar widely available, transforming it from a luxury into a virtual necessity. The show explains that the addition of sugar made bitter exotic goods – such as chocolate - palatable to Western European tastes.
Throughout his journey Laurence discusses everything from Admiral Nelson to Barclays Bank, cup-cakes to racism, and Bristol city centre to Led Zeppelin.
In his quest to understand the true legacy of Britain’s involvement in the slave trade, he meets an African pop star, an auctioneer, a blue-badge tour guide and a cast of historians and experts.