National Trust homes face slavery scrutiny

Nearly a third of stately homes owned by the National Trust have links to slavery or colonialism, a report is expected to announce next month, as the charity said it wanted to keep controversial objects in situ, in order to avoid “shutting down debate”.

The trust engaged with members, visitors and supporters in a year-long survey of its 300 historic homes for links to slavery or colonialism, and a working group will make recommendations on how to address the issues. “I very much hope that we can interpret these objects effectively and, for the most part, they stay in situ,” Tarnya Cooper, collections director, told The Times.