A new permanent heritage trail for Gladstone Park commissioned by Brent Council will be unveiled this October to coincide with Black History Month.
This heritage trail is in addition to the horticultural commission The Anchor, The Drum, The Ship (2022) installed in the park on 14 October. This project breaks new ground in the conversation over public spaces with links to the transatlantic slave trade.
Gladstone Park was named after former British Prime Minister William Gladstone whose family owned plantations in the Caribbean and received the largest compensation payments made by the Slave Compensation Commission. The Gladstone family name was identified for review as part of the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, launched in 2020 to review statues, streets names and landmarks to help people have a better understanding of London’s diverse histories.
The heritage trail will feature 11 panels detailing the history of the park, the Gladstone family involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, the early Black presence in Brent, and the many groundbreaking public figures of African and Caribbean descent with a connection to Brent.
An online resource has also been commissioned to enable people to discover more and to nominate other Brent heroes to be recognised and celebrated. Visit the Untold Stories Brent site.
This project has been delivered by Brent Museum and Archive in collaboration with Black History Studies, Lin Kam Arts, and Chill Create design company. The project was also supported through engagement with the local community.