Liverpool University to rename halls of residence after uproar over William Gladstone slavery links

Daniel O'Mahony10 June 2020

A university halls of residence will be renamed following student uproar over the former Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone’s links to the slave trade.

In a statement, the University of Liverpool said it would work with "staff and student groups to agree an appropriate alternative name” for Gladstone Hall, on the Greenbank Student Village site.

It comes after a group students wrote an open letter to Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Janet Beer calling for the building to be renamed.

The letter urged the university to stop "normalising people like William Gladstone by naming our campus after them,” the Liverpool Echo reported.

Gladstone: A campaign was launched to remove the former PM's name
Getty Images

Born in 1809 in Liverpool, Gladstone served four terms as Prime Minister between 1868 and 1894 and is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of British liberalism.

His father Sir John Gladstone, an MP and plantation owner in the West Indies, was paid the modern equivalent of £83 million in compensation when Britain abolished slavery in 1833.

That year, in his maiden speech in the House of Commons, William Gladstone defended his father against accusations of the mistreatment of slaves during a debate on the Emancipation Bill.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the students' letter criticised Gladstone for advocating the interests plantation owners over "the freedom of slaves that he and his father financially relied upon", and called for the hall to be renamed as a "show of solidarity in the rejection of Black oppression.”

The decision comes days after anti-racism protestors in Bristol tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it in the city’s harbour.

On Tuesday a statue of 18th century slaveowner Robert Milligan was removed by authorities in east London, amid growing worldwide anger following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

A Liverpool University spokesperson said: "We share in the shame that our city feels because its prosperity was significantly based upon a slave economy.

"The University of Liverpool is a member of Universities Studying Slavery which includes an acknowledgement of and pledge to explore our own legacies.

"Our Centre for the Study of International Slavery works closely with the City’s International Slavery Museum and undertakes important research into modern slavery.

"Gladstone Hall is part of the Greenbank site and was demolished and recently rebuilt.

"We have an important opportunity to send a clear message about the commitments we have made to our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and student community and the University will work with the Guild of Students and with staff and student groups to agree an appropriate alternative name for the hall.”

The Greenbank Student Village was previously known as Roscoe and Gladstone Halls before the buildings were knocked down and renovated in 2017.

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