Guildhall will not remove statue of a slave-owning mayor

A statue of 18th century slave-owning former Lord Mayor William Beckford should remain in the City of London’s Guildhall headquarters, a report released today has recommended.

It said a plaque explaining Beckford’s links to the slave trade should be added to the statue.

In the wake of numerous ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests across the UK last year, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, the City of London Corporation undertook an investigation into its historic links to the slave trade.

In January the Square Mile’s municipal authority agreed to remove statues of Beckford, who owned plantations with African slaves in Jamaica, and of merchant John Cass, who played a leading role in the Royal African Company in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

However, in March a working group was established to examine a range of options.

It also suggested creating bursaries for local Black, Asian and minority ethnic people to train as City guides and supporting a “Black Pound Day” in which people are encouraged to buy from Black-owned businesses

Consultations showed “low levels of demand” for removing the statutes, and the report affirmed that: “The City Corporation is united in its commitment to equality, inclusivity and diversity and to tackling slavery and racism in all its forms.”

The Guildhall is a listed building and any alterations require planning permission.

The government, who can veto planning applications on the listed site, has informed the City that it is against the removal of contested statues, and is instead in favour of contextual information being added.