UK's oldest anti-slavery memorial restored

Works to restore the UK's oldest anti-slavery memorial have been completed.

The memorial arch in Stroud, Gloucestershire, was built in 1834 to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

Specialist contractors have cleaned and repaired stone on the Grade II* listed monument - at a cost of £42,000.

The local council, which owns the arch, said the repairs would help preserve it for the benefit of "future generations".

The monument was constructed by local businessman and anti-slavery campaigner Henry Wyatt as the grand entrance to a Georgian mansion - now the Paganhill estate - a year after the abolition of slavery across the British Empire.

More than 100 years later in 1960s, the arch was restored by Stroud District Council for the first time, at a cost of £1,000.

In the decades since, the memorial has had the nearby Archway School named after it and has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* before the latest restoration project was agreed in 2021.

The council's head of property services, Alison Fisk, said the authority had worked "carefully" to maintain what she called a "nationally important monument".

In 2021, the council launched a review of monuments, buildings and street names in the district - with a taskforce set up to enhance historical focus on the arch and improve tourism potential.

In 2024, new walking routes between the monument and the Blackboy Clock and statue were introduced to give context to the town's links to slavery.

The council said at the time it wanted to inspire "ongoing conversation" around slavery and colonialism in the area.