New Book Breaking the Dead Silence Delves into Forgotten Heritage

Roman heritage, Georgian architecture, Jane Austen and its famous spa and Baths are what spring to mind when thinking about Bath.

But a new book edited by University of Bath’s Dr Christina Horvath, delves into what she calls ‘overlooked legacies’ of transatlantic slavery forming the forgotten heritage of Bath and Bristol.

Whilst the history of the transatlantic slave trade is more well known in Bristol, many of Bath’s most famous features were also made possible by the stolen labour of enslaved Africans and profits from plantations.

Breaking the Dead Silence: Engaging with the Legacies of Empire and Slave-Ownership in Bath and Bristol’s Memoryscapes, explores these issues.

There are 19 contributors challenging the ‘official heritage narrative’ of Bristol and Bath with insights and perspectives from diverse voices, activists and academics to bring a ‘more inclusive and truthful’ approach to heritage.

Editor Dr Christina Hovarth from the Dept of Politics, Languages & International Studies said:  “For a long time Bath has systematically forgotten its troubling history in favour of an authorised narrative that celebrates the city’s Roman heritage, iconic Georgian architecture, links to the novelist Jane Austen, and its spa and leisure culture. The main aim of this book is to diversify this heritage by bringing forward some of the missing voices and unheard stories—not only those about slavery and abolition but also about Bath’s Caribbean cricket team, the Bristol bus boycott, the Bath workhouse  or one of Bath’s most prominent residents, Emperor Haile Selassie.”  

“Stories of colonial exploitation, forced migration, and looting are hidden in plain sight in Bristol and Bath,” Co-editor and visiting research fellow at Bath Spa University Dr Richard White added.

“From Bath’s UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and the old port of Bristol to coastal cities across the UK and beyond, public sites of memory have yet to fully acknowledge the atrocities committed in the creation of the wealth they display.” 

The book officially launches in October, with events taking place in Bristol and Bath.

The Bristol event takes place at M Shed on 16 October 2024.

For more information or to book, visit: https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/m-shed/book-launch-breaking-the-dead-silence/

New Book Breaking the Dead Silence: Engaging with the Legacies of Empire and Slave-Ownership in Bath and Bristol’s Memoryscapes is available to buy as a book as well as a free download

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