Welsh museum to investigate links between slavery and railway development
THE National Museum Wales (NMW) is investigating whether its replica of Richard Trevithick’s 1804 steam locomotive needs to be relabelled to highlight links between the slave trade and the development of railways in Wales.
Trevithick’s engine powered the world’s first locomotivehauled railway journey in a demonstration at the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, on February 21, 1804. The locomotive was later reused as a stationary engine, but its ultimate fate is unclear and so a working replica was made in 1981.
A spokesperson for NMW said, “The Trevithick locomotive has long been used as an icon of Welsh industry. We have always acknowledged the fact that there are no direct links with the Trevithick locomotive and slavery. However, the links between steam power, railways, and slavery cannot be ignored.
“Trade and colonial exploitation were embedded in Wales’ economy and society, and was fundamental to Wales’ development as an industrialised nation. Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales has begun its work on delivering our Decolonising Charter, to uncover different stories and perspectives behind objects in our collection.
“The exploration of how the slave trade fed into the development of the steam and railway infrastructure in Wales is one of the areas we will be exploring with communities.”
Whilst there has been criticism of the museum’s announcement by some in the heritage movement, the wider picture is that the financing of early railways is a complicated area that needs careful unpicking. Some wealthy investors of the time had made their money through businesses linked to the slave trade, but this was not true in all cases.